The report of the IGCCM consolidated all the membership criteria of the organisation, developed over two-thirds of a century, since the Statute of Westminster 1931, into a single document, beginning the process of codification.
[1] Primarily, it was decided that the admission of Mozambique, in 1995, was a unique occurrence, in recognition of Mozambique's support for the Commonwealth's policies towards South Africa and Rhodesia during the Apartheid era; any future members would have to have a direct constitutional link with an existing member.
These requirements, which remain the same today, are that members must: On the advice of Secretary-General Don McKinnon, the 2005 CHOGM, held in Valletta, Malta, decided to re-examine the Edinburgh criteria.
[2] The Committee on Commonwealth Membership was made responsible,[3] and reported their findings[4] at the 2007 CHOGM, held in Kampala, Uganda.
Most of the other membership requirements were similar to those stated in past declarations, except the very first requirement, a "constitutional association" with existing members—this was substantially weakened by the committee (by adding the clause "or a substantial relationship with the Commonwealth or a particular group of its members") and was further weakened in the executive CHOGM summary (which instead added an even more general clause "save in exceptional circumstances... should be considered on a case-by-case basis").