Book excerpt: The Commonwealth Yearbook is the essential annual guide to the Commonwealth, its members, and organizations. The 2006 Yearbook has been fully updated and includes articles on: ·The "good offices" role of the Commonwealth in promoting democracy and conflict resolution ·Commonwealth initiatives on reducing the impact of natural disasters, especially in small island states · Working for a fairer deal in international trade for developing countries ·The challenge of debt and debt management in developing countries and the Commonwealth Secretariat's widely used debt management software ·A full reference section and comprehensive profiles on the member states