The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opens in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda, on 1 November 2026, bringing together leaders and representatives of the 56 member states of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The 28th meeting runs until 4 November, with linked forums and events on 1 and 2 November and the heads of government sessions on 3 and 4 November. Antigua and Barbuda, chaired by Prime Minister Gaston Browne, is the smallest country ever to host the summit. Its theme is "Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth".

A first for the new Secretary-General

The summit is the first CHOGM held during the tenure of Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who was selected at the 2024 summit in Samoa and took office on 1 April 2025. Antigua and Barbuda was chosen as host on the final day of that Samoa meeting.

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya is leading her country's delegation, according to Sri Lanka's foreign ministry, and will take part in the executive sessions and the leaders' retreat, as well as addressing the Commonwealth Women's Forum and the leaders' and chief executives' investment summit.

Reparations expected to feature

Caribbean and African members are again expected to press the United Kingdom on reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, an issue that has run through recent Commonwealth gatherings. Reporting ahead of the summit noted that the Commonwealth Secretary-General has suggested a formal apology from King Charles III would not hurt, while Britain has ruled out financial reparations.

For the host, the logistics are huge: more than 400 private drivers had registered by 25 October to move 5,000 delegates between a parade, four forums and the airport, against a national school bus fleet of roughly 40. The summit's business, however, is investment and partnership across a Commonwealth that spans Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific.