More cooperation and less confrontation is what Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne is advocating for as he urges Commonwealth to show it remains relevant for the Caribbean and other members facing various challenges.
Browne told the opening of the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2026, at St John’s in his country yesterday that leaders and others had assembled there “at a time when global power remains unequal, national interests increasingly compete, and the foundations of international cooperation are under strain”.
“From these Caribbean shores, we understand how decisions taken far beyond our borders can profoundly affect our people. Conflicts destroy lives and disrupt economies,” he said.
Reliable partners
“Supply-chain disruptions drive up prices. Debt constrains national choices. Climate change threatens livelihoods, development and, for vulnerable states, our very survival.
“Yet the truth is that no nation, however powerful, can prosper in isolation. All depend on reliable partners, secure markets, resilient supply chains and a stable international order.”
Browne said that while there may not be agreement on everything, “we must recognise that we can achieve far more through cooperation than through confrontation”.
“Some question whether the Commonwealth remains relevant. Our answer must not rest on history or sentiment alone,” he stated.
Opportunities
“It must be demonstrated through results: in the opportunities we create, the partnerships we forge and the tangible improvements we deliver in the lives of our people.”
He recommended building on the Commonwealth’s legacy by making it “a more consequential force for global stability, shared prosperity and international cooperation”.
“Across our 56 member nations lie immense opportunities: capital, markets, productive capacity, scientific knowledge and human talent. The resources are there. The needs are there. What is required is the collective will to connect them,” Browne said.
“Let us expand trade among ourselves, simplify customs procedures, strengthen transport links and improve access to trade finance, particularly for small and mediumsized enterprises. Let us establish predictable investment frameworks that encourage businesses to invest, innovate and create jobs.
“Larger economies can secure reliable suppliers and new investment opportunities. Smaller economies can access wider markets, attract productive capital and expand their economic potential,” he added.
Browne also said that Commonwealth cooperation “must deliver meaningful benefits for every member, regardless of size or economic strength”.
In his view, “our pursuit of prosperity must also recognise the vulnerabilities that threaten to erase decades of development in a matter of hours” “National income alone cannot adequately measure a country’s vulnerability or its capacity to withstand repeated shocks,” he said.
“We must therefore advance the wider use of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index alongside existing financing criteria, while pressing for faster access to climate finance and debt arrangements that give vulnerable countries the fiscal space to recover and rebuild.” (SC)