Commonwealth forums opened in Antigua and Barbuda with a focus on investment, opportunity and prosperity ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), bringing together more than 500 delegates from across the organisation’s 56 member countries.
The joint opening ceremony marked the start of the Business, People’s, Women’s and Youth Forums, alongside side events on eye health, ocean finance, democracy and sport for development. The forums are intended to feed recommendations into CHOGM deliberations, which are set to begin the following day.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Hon Shirley Botchwey and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Hon Gaston Browne welcomed delegates and pointed to the forums as a channel for broader participation in CHOGM discussions.
Botchwey emphasised the need for young people and women to be included in Commonwealth decision-making, saying: “Sixty per cent of Commonwealth citizens are under the age of 30. Half are women and girls. Together, these forums stand for about 80 per cent of our 2.7 billion people, yet their perspectives are still too often excluded from decision-making. That is why these forums matter.”
She said the Commonwealth “cannot rest” while one in three women experiences gender-based violence, and warned the economic gap between women and men could take more than a century and a half to close at the current pace. “We need to do things differently if we are to change the world,” she added, urging delegates to hold leaders to account.
In his remarks, Browne called on participants to move beyond declarations and produce practical initiatives. “Do not leave these forums with only a declaration. Leave with a partnership. Leave with a commitment. Leave with a practical initiative capable of making a difference in the lives of Commonwealth citizens,” he said.
Australian Prime Minister Hon Anthony Albanese, delivering the keynote address, called for Commonwealth countries to work together to strengthen democracy, build economic and climate resilience, protect free and fair trade, and shape emerging technologies “as the world faces ‘considerable pressure’”.
Albanese said: “We believe in seizing and shaping this world moment, and we believe that the Commonwealth, our 56 nations working together, has a critical role in shaping a successful future. We want to stand with other Commonwealth nations as friends and partners to tackle the big issues together and to build something better together.”
A leadership conversation later in the programme brought together President H.E. Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Prime Minister Hon Andrew Holness of Jamaica and Deputy Prime Minister Hon Mulipola Anarosa Ale-Molio’o of Samoa to discuss the Commonwealth’s future priorities.
Kagame argued investment is required for development and employment, and challenged the view that investment in developing countries carries greater risk than in the “global north”, saying risks exist everywhere and can be reduced through cooperation and pooled resources.
Holness said the main constraint on development is not financing but the ability of governments and institutions to deliver efficiently, describing “efficiency as a resource” and pointing to technology and artificial intelligence as tools to improve delivery while maintaining “equity and fairness”.
Samoa’s deputy prime minister said the Commonwealth’s strength lies in its people and relationships, and compared the organisation to an extended family with collective responsibility for its members.
Delegates are expected to continue discussions through the forums and develop recommendations for leaders to consider during CHOGM.
