PM Briceño Leaves the Country for Commonwealth Summit

Prime Minister John Briceño left Belize on Sunday to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.

Briceño returns on Friday. Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, who is also Minister of Natural Resources, Petroleum and Mining, will act as Prime Minister while he is away.

This year’s meeting is the 28th CHOGM. The host country is the smallest ever to host a CHOGM. The theme is “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth”, and the announced priorities include climate resilience, trade and investment, innovation, equality and sustainable development.

Leaders and representatives of the 56 Commonwealth member states are expected, along with business, youth, women’s and people’s forums on the sidelines. It is the first CHOGM for Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who took office in April 2025. King Charles III is expected to attend.

Caribbean leaders are expected to push for reparations for transatlantic slavery to be discussed, as they did at the last meeting in Samoa in 2024. Issues facing small island developing states, including climate change and access to investment, are also expected to feature.