A senior, government-led delegation from the United Arab Emirates traveled to St. John’s, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, to take part in the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), hosted between November 1 and 4, 2026 under the official banner “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.” The UAE delegation was led by two prominent cabinet ministers: Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, and Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State, alongside Omar Shehadeh, the designated Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Caribbean and Pacific States, and a cohort of senior diplomatic and policy officials.
Timed to align with Antigua and Barbuda’s national Independence Day celebrations during the summit, both lead UAE ministers extended formal, warm congratulations to the twin-island nation’s government and its entire citizenry, marking a gesture of goodwill that reinforced the close bilateral ties between the two nations.
On the margins of the main CHOGM plenary sessions, the two UAE ministers conducted a packed schedule of bilateral closed-door meetings with senior government representatives, diplomatic envoys, and industry stakeholders from Commonwealth member states spanning the Pacific, Caribbean, Asia, and the Americas. These discussions covered pressing regional and global geopolitical developments, alongside targeted conversations to expand cross-border trade flows, unlock new reciprocal investment opportunities, advance inclusive sustainable development targets, and build collective climate resilience for nations most exposed to extreme weather events.
Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy framed the UAE’s presence at the summit as a strategically significant milestone that opened a new, formal channel to deepen multi-layered engagement with the entire Commonwealth bloc. Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, meanwhile, drew attention to the UAE’s decades-long track record of collaborative partnerships with Commonwealth nations, particularly small island developing states (SIDS) across the Caribbean and Pacific, and reaffirmed that sustained open dialogue, mutual cultural understanding, and action-oriented practical cooperation were the most effective tools to tackle shared transnational challenges.
“As we navigate increasingly complex global challenges, particularly those affecting vulnerable regions and small island developing states, our shared commitment to resilience, sustainable development, and prosperity becomes ever more important,” Her Excellency Al Kaabi stated during a formal side event. “Through constructive dialogue and the exchange of knowledge and expertise, we have an opportunity to build on our partnerships, learn from one another, and advance practical solutions that respond to the aspirations of our peoples. We look forward to further strengthening these relationships and translating our ambitions into lasting progress.”
This 2026 CHOGM marks the very first time the UAE has been invited to participate as an official special guest of the Commonwealth, a landmark moment that signals a new era of formalized ties between the Gulf nation and the 56-member intergovernmental bloc. The historic debut underscores the UAE’s broader diplomatic priority of building inclusive, cross-regional bridges of cooperation rooted in a shared collective vision for equitable, people-centered sustainable development across all member nations.