At a vibrant welcome ceremony marking the lead-up to the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs E.P. Chet Greene delivered a heartfelt tribute to the cohort of over 600 local volunteers who have poured countless hours and relentless energy into supporting the smooth execution of the landmark international gathering.
Greene framed the volunteer corps as the living embodiment of Antigua and Barbuda’s world-renowned warmth, positioning them far beyond auxiliary support staff as the public face of the nation’s hospitality. “These volunteers are the first warm smiles that greet arriving delegates, the steady helping hands that resolve unforeseen hiccups in real time, and the quiet, unsung backbone behind every seamless, well-orchestrated moment of this high-stakes summit,” Greene told the assembled audience of volunteers, government representatives, and incoming CHOGM delegates.
He lauded the group’s unwavering dedication, noting their efforts distill the very finest qualities of Antiguan and Barbudan national character. The minister went on to contextualize the volunteers’ work as the most visible pillar of a far broader cross-societal mobilization: weeks of coordinated effort spanning every government ministry, national security units, faith leaders, primary and secondary school students, local artists, and small business owners. Greene underscored that every segment of the twin-island nation had rallied behind CHOGM preparations, offering a powerful demonstration of the country’s collective capacity to align around a shared public goal.
The foreign minister emphasized that Antigua and Barbuda’s historic milestone as the smallest sovereign state ever to host the Commonwealth’s highest leadership summit was a source of profound national pride. “We step into this role with immense national pride, and the unshakable conviction that a nation’s geographic or demographic size never dictates its global significance,” Greene declared. He added that staging an event of CHOGM’s scale, which draws leaders and representatives from 56 Commonwealth member states collectively representing 2.7 billion people, could never have been achieved without widespread public buy-in and a shared sense of collective purpose.
Shifting focus to the summit’s official theme, “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth,” Greene stressed that the framing was far more than a rhetorical slogan. “This is an urgent, actionable call to all member states,” he explained, pointing to shared cross-border priorities including the disproportionate climate vulnerability of small island developing states and the creation of fair, sustainable trade frameworks that lift up marginalized economies across the Commonwealth.
Greene noted that the 2024 CHOGM holds added symbolic weight, as it coincides with Antigua and Barbuda’s 45th anniversary of national independence. He extended a warm invitation to all attending delegates to immerse themselves in the nation’s famous local culture, and explore its legendary 365 pristine beaches in between policy deliberations. He closed his address by voicing his sincere hope that the summit’s discussions hosted in the capital city of St. John’s would produce bold, tangible, inclusive outcomes that live up to the needs and expectations of the 2.7 billion diverse people the Commonwealth’s leadership serves.
More than 600 volunteers praised for role in hosting Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda
