The 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2026) opened on Sunday, November 1, in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda, bringing together leaders and representatives from the Commonwealth's 56 member nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat said. The meeting runs through November 4.

Source: The Commonwealth Secretariat via The Leadsman, Nov 1, 2026

The summit is being held under the theme 'Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth'. The Commonwealth is a grouping of 56 countries representing 2.7 billion people, from advanced and developing economies, according to the Australian prime minister's office.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is attending from October 31 to November 4, said the meeting is 'an important forum, providing Australia an opportunity to work with some of our closest partners on shared challenges, including climate change, the preservation of our oceans, trade and investment, and the rise of AI.'

Source: Prime Minister of Australia, Oct 31, 2026

Albanese's office said this is his second CHOGM after the last meeting in Samoa in 2024, the first visit to the Caribbean by an Australian prime minister since 2009, and 'an important opportunity for Australia to advance our campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council in 2029-30.'

Small islands, big agenda

The host is Antigua and Barbuda, a small island state, and climate change is a dominant issue for the Commonwealth's small island developing states, which face rising seas and stronger storms while producing only a small share of global emissions. Ocean preservation and the implementation of ocean protections are also on the agenda, alongside trade, investment and AI governance.

The meeting is chaired in the host country led by Prime Minister Gaston Browne, with Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey leading the Secretariat. The Secretariat and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda had earlier unveiled the summit theme together in St John's, saying it would bring together leaders from 56 Commonwealth nations 'to strengthen collaboration, drive sustainable investment, and deliver shared prosperity'.

Source: The Commonwealth Secretariat

Reparations for slavery are expected to shadow the talks: as Awaaz Punjab reported on Saturday, Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was 'open' to a formal slavery apology ahead of the Commonwealth summit but ruled out reparations — a position Caribbean campaigners have said does not go far enough.

CHOGM is held about every two years. Leaders are expected to issue a communique at the close of the meeting on November 4, setting out what the 56-nation bloc could agree on climate finance, trade and investment before the APEC and G20 summits later this month.