After wrapping up a high-stakes four-day gathering of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) in Alberta, Canada, Sir Rodney Williams, Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, and his wife Lady Williams have returned home, bringing with them key progress on regional cooperation and preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The Alberta conference, which drew RCS stakeholders from across the globe, was successfully coordinated with the support of Edmonton RCS President Ian Havin and his local organizing team. As the global meeting drew participation from representatives of dozens of RCS national branches, the Antigua and Barbuda delegation covered almost all of its own travel and participation costs, in a departure from many official diplomatic delegations.
In his remarks during working sessions, Sir Rodney, who serves as Patron of Antigua and Barbuda’s RCS branch, updated global delegates on preparations for the 2024 CHOGM, scheduled to take place in Antigua from November 1 to 4. He confirmed that the vast majority of registered delegates have already completed their accreditation and are finalizing travel and attendance arrangements for the major summit.
On the sidelines of the Canadian gathering, the Caribbean regional RCS cohort convened to launch its regional organizational planning. Lady Williams, who holds the role of President of the Antigua and Barbuda RCS branch, earned public praise from Janet Cooper, Chair of the UK RCS branch, who joined the meeting virtually, for her proactive leadership and support in advancing the regional initiative.
Speaking after the planning session, Lady Williams outlined the vision for the Caribbean regional branch, noting that Caribbean Commonwealth nations share overlapping priorities and can achieve far more through coordinated collaboration. She highlighted the deep experience and longstanding leadership of Dame Sandra Mason, President of the Barbados RCS branch, and Cheryll Belle, the branch’s Vice President, as key assets for the regional network. While the regional branch is still in its early formative stages, Lady Williams confirmed that a full public outline of its strategic goals, expanded member benefits and outreach plans will be released in the near future, with the ultimate aim of delivering greater public value to all Commonwealth nations across the Caribbean.
The Antigua and Barbuda RCS branch has built its program around environmental action as a core focus, and the branch will maintain this priority going forward, while expanding its work into new issue areas to better serve local communities. Lady Williams also announced an upcoming global networking event: a cocktail reception co-hosted with the RCS Hong Kong branch at Galley Bay Hotel in Antigua in early November, on the sidelines of CHOGM. She emphasized that the event will deliver tangible economic benefits to local communities, noting that most visiting delegates will choose to stay in small, family-owned accommodations across the island, bringing direct income to local households and small businesses. “This is unambiguously good economic news for the people of Antigua and Barbuda,” she added.
During their time in Alberta, the couple also received a private invitation for tea and strategic discussions with Salma Lakhani, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta and Patron of RCS Alberta, and her husband Dr. Zaheer Lakhani, a leading cardiologist based in the province.
For context, the global RCS network counts His Majesty King Charles III as its global Patron, while Her Majesty Queen Camilla serves as Patron of the organization’s annual Queen’s Essay Competition. The flagship youth competition awards winning student participants with all-expenses-paid study trips to London, giving young Commonwealth scholars the chance to connect with peers across the bloc.