As the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda enters a busy period of general election campaigning this April, organizers of the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) have reaffirmed that all preparations for the November summit will proceed without disruption.
The high-profile international gathering, scheduled to run from November 1 to 4, has already advanced to a critical planning phase that demands consistent, focused attention — even as political activity accelerates across the entire country, summit overseers say. During a recent convening of the national CHOGM Task Force, Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene, who leads the planning effort, outlined a clear arrangement to balance competing demands: he will split his schedule between official election campaign duties and ongoing oversight of the summit’s preparation process. He also emphasized that the full cross-functional team responsible for the event must maintain consistent progress to hit key milestones.
To ensure no gaps in leadership emerge when Greene is occupied with campaign commitments, veteran diplomat Ambassador Anthony Liverpool has been appointed as Special Advisor to guarantee continuity in planning. Liverpool brings substantial relevant experience to the role, having previously played a central part in organizing the 2024 Small Island Developing States Conference, which makes him well-suited to lead Task Force meetings in Greene’s absence.
Day-to-day operational coordination will remain anchored with the permanent CHOGM Secretariat, led by Coordinator Celia Roberts-Morgan. A network of specialized committees is already working in parallel to advance core components of the summit, including logistics arrangements and the design of the official program.
When it convenes in November, CHOGM will be the largest international event ever hosted by Antigua and Barbuda, drawing heads of state, senior government officials, and delegates from all 56 member states of the Commonwealth. Beyond the core formal leadership meetings, the summit will feature a full slate of parallel engagement events, including dedicated forums for youth, women’s leadership, business cooperation, and civil society dialogue, alongside a range of other bilateral and multilateral international engagements.
Organizers project that more than 5,000 participants will travel to Antigua and Barbuda for the four-day gathering. Given the massive scale of the event and the complex work required to deliver a successful summit, officials stress that there is no margin for scheduling delays — even as the national government and political leadership navigate the full demands of a national election season.