Commonwealth ministers opened the Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026 with a call for practical co-operation, stronger investment and collective action to make small-state economies more resilient.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Meeting on Small States was held in the margins of CHOGM, which runs from 1 to 4 November. Its theme was “Scaling-up Partnerships and Investments for Resilient Small States.”
Ministers looked at how governments, international partners and the private sector could scale up support for existing and future Commonwealth initiatives, and how to amplify small-state priorities in multilateral forums.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne gave a special address urging that small states be seen as strategically relevant, not only as vulnerable. He called for deeper partnership and investment across the Commonwealth.
The meeting was co-chaired by Antigua and Barbuda’s Foreign Minister, Chet Greene, and Maldives Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam.
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Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey noted that Antigua and Barbuda is the smallest nation by population ever to host a CHOGM.
She said small states are producing solutions in climate action, digital innovation, sustainable finance and the blue economy, and that size can be “a source of agility.” She named access to affordable, predictable and adequate finance as the biggest obstacle they face.
Ministers described a period of heavy uncertainty for small states, shaped by geopolitical tension, economic fragmentation, climate-related crises and financial vulnerability. They called for coordinated efforts to widen access to sustainable finance, strengthen economic and climate resilience, and ease debt pressures.
They also stressed that lasting progress would depend on collaboration among member countries, international institutions, development partners and investors. Greene told delegates that small states keep showing innovation, resilience and leadership, and urged them to “champion the interests of our small states with a united voice.”
The Secretary-General also launched the 23rd volume of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s flagship Small States Economic Review and Basic Statistics, titled “Beyond Resilience to Strategic Relevance: The Future of Small States.”
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The report finds that small states are increasingly attractive for investment and innovation despite their economic and climate vulnerabilities. It says pooling projects and procurement can create economies of scale, and that public-backed financing can lower risk and costs while drawing in private capital for sustainable sectors.
The report concludes that foreign direct investment reached 5.7% of GDP in 2024 while remittances made up 5.6% of GDP across Commonwealth small states in 2024.
Small states are leading in digital and sustainable finance, including central bank digital currencies, green bonds and blue bonds. Ninety infrastructure projects with private participation were recorded across 21 small states between 1990 and 2024.
The meeting’s outcomes will go to Heads of Government in their executive session. They will also feed into the post-CHOGM 2026 agenda on partnerships and investment, and guide the Secretariat’s advocacy strategy for small states at major international platforms.
