ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA: COUNTDOWN TO CHOGM

The stage is being set in Antigua and Barbuda for the 2026 biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government(CHOGM) Summit next month.

Hundreds of regional and international government leaders, ministers, and representatives from business, civil society, and youth organisations from the English-speaking ex-British Empire Commonwealth of Nations and Territories will assemble in the twin-island state for the November 1st to 4th event.

The London-based Commonwealth Secretariat says, “The 2026 meeting will mark a significant event for the Caribbean nation.”

The British monarch, His Majesty King Charles, will also attend the summit.

Antigua and Barbuda is already going all out to prepare to host the event, including a tightly controlled security zone in residential areas near the summit venue.

Residents are being asked ahead of time to either relocate or stay indoors for the duration of the summit as their locale will be under strict lockdown at specific periods.

The Antigua and Barbuda security services will be augmented by support from other countries, including a contingent from the Cayman Islands Regiment.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has stated that the event will be “a defining moment” for his country, saying the landmark event aims to unite 56 member nations to address global challenges and deliver collective progress for their citizens.

“Our Commonwealth family will discuss, decide, and act together for the benefit of the people we serve,” he stated in a pre-summit address.

According to Mr Browne, who will assume Commonwealth chairmanship beginning with the conference, “At this pivotal time, it is critically important that we stand together as small states, emerging nations, and developed countries. We rise to meet our challenges. We must deliver for our people.”

The summit’s theme is “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth”. Its announced priorities include climate resilience, trade and investment, innovation, equality, and sustainable development. Issues of particular importance to small island states, especially those in the Commonwealth grouping, are also expected to feature prominently. A hot-button topic that’s expected to resonate during this summit is that of reparatory justice, with Caribbean and African countries demanding reparations, particularly from the United Kingdom for the TransAtlantic slave trade.

The issue has been gaining additional traction recently with representations in the United Kingdom by broad CARICOM and singular Jamaican delegations. A slavery reparations petition by Jamaica for a judicial review has been referred by King Charles III to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC), with the hearing scheduled for March next year.

Delegates at the 2026 CHOGM will also consider the continued relevance of the Commonwealth in the current global democratic climate.

The Commonwealth, as it’s known, was formed out of the history of the former British Empire and has gone through a series of phases in the post-slavery era, decolonisation, and independence of many former British Caribbean and other colonies which chose to retain ties with the UK.

The present Commonwealth Secretariat was set up in 1965 and is headquartered in London, where it coordinates a range of policies and activities on behalf of member states.

What started as an international grouping of former and remaining British territories is now made up of 56 independent member states with a population of around 2.5 billion people, with huge administrative similarities and trading potential. It has since expanded to include non-Anglophone African countries (without a historical British colonial link) such as Mozambique, Gabon, and Togo.