CCB congratulates the Government and People of Antigua-Barbuda on the country’s hosting of the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings

Founded in September 1967 and boasting a 59-plus year track record of serving visually impaired communities across the Caribbean, the Caribbean Council for the Blind & Visually Impaired (CCB) has formally issued a statement of high praise for Prime Minister Gaston Browne, the entire Antigua and Barbuda government, and the nation’s general public in recognition of the country’s upcoming hosting of the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference (CHOGM). Scheduled to run from November 1 to 4 in the capital city of St. John’s, the high-level multilateral gathering represents a major milestone for the small island nation, CCB leadership noted during a recent exclusive briefing with CCB Media. CCB President Mr. Persad emphasized that the selection of Antigua and Barbuda as CHOGM 2024’s host destination stands as a clear marker of the country’s rapidly growing diplomatic clout and respected standing in global governance circles. He further pointed out that this CHOGM marks the third major international multilateral summit Antigua and Barbuda has hosted in the span of just over five years, following two high-profile global events: the 2019 “Play It Out Concert and Festival” that galvanized global action against single-use plastic pollution, an initiative Antigua and Barbuda first pioneered with its landmark national ban on single-use plastics, and the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States held in May 2024. Running parallel to the main CHOGM proceedings, a slate of aligned side events will also take place, including the Global Summit for Eye Health and the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum. During the media briefing, Persad drew urgent attention to systemic, longstanding gaps in access to eye health and disability support services across the Caribbean, large swathes of the tropical Commonwealth, and broader Global South. He flagged critical shortages of specialized vision care personnel: the region faces drastic understaffing of eye care-trained nurses, vision care technicians, optometrists, and fully qualified ophthalmologists. CCB’s own demographic data estimates that more than 60,000 people across the Commonwealth Caribbean live with total blindness, while an additional 240,000 face severe, unaddressed vision loss. Persad stressed that these crippling human resource shortfalls are directly driving alarmingly high rates of preventable blindness and avoidable vision impairment across the region. The full statement was formally approved for public release by CCB Chief Executive Officer Arvel Grant, a recognized specialist in public health and international development.