The twin-island Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda has officially announced it is fully prepared to welcome global leaders for the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), following the completion of a comprehensive nationwide readiness exercise designed to test the country’s operational capacity for the high-stakes international gathering.
Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene, the country’s top diplomatic official, confirmed the positive outcome of the simulation while currently on official government travel in Peru. Though he was not present on the ground during the exercise held Friday, Greene remained closely connected to the proceedings, receiving real-time live updates and detailed reports from local government and event coordinating officials throughout the day.
The large-scale drill was structured to evaluate every critical operational domain required to host a major summit of global leaders, ranging from cross-agency security protocols and rapid emergency response systems to complex logistics coordination and timely public communication frameworks.
In his remarks following the exercise, Greene characterized the simulation as rigorous, a necessary step in preparation, and ultimately a resounding success. He emphasized that the drill served as tangible proof that Antigua and Barbuda has developed the full capability to pull off a major international event of this scale smoothly and effectively.
Greene extended his gratitude to residents of Antigua and Barbuda for their understanding and patience during the exercise, which required temporary service disruptions in some areas to accommodate the drill. He also offered specific praise to the collective group of stakeholders involved, highlighting the outstanding professionalism and seamless coordination displayed by law enforcement officers, emergency response teams, dedicated CHOGM planning personnel, and national disaster management agencies. Additionally, he commended local media outlets for their consistent, clear work to keep the general public updated on the exercise’s progress and any related impacts throughout the day.
The minister stressed that the successful completion of this simulation provides clear confirmation that Antigua and Barbuda has already put in place all the required infrastructure, trained personnel, and operational systems needed to successfully host the gathering of Commonwealth heads of government in 2026. When the summit convenes next year, it will bring together leaders from across the 56-nation Commonwealth bloc to deliberate on a wide range of pressing regional and global policy challenges.