Welcome to Antigua —
and to the AUA Conference & Learning Center

Commonwealth Ministerial Meeting on Small States

Ministers from across the Commonwealth gathered at the AUA Conference & Learning Center for the CMMSS, the first ministerial engagement of the summit. The meeting was co-chaired by Antigua and Barbuda, as host country, and the Maldives. It is the Commonwealth's principal forum for the priorities and challenges of small states.

• Ministers worked on shared positions ahead of the Heads of Government Meeting on 3–4 November.
• Discussions followed the summit theme, Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth, with a focus on partnerships and investment for the resilience and sustainable development of small states.
• The meeting fell on Antigua and Barbuda's 45th Independence Day. The smallest country ever to host CHOGM opened a week of Commonwealth engagements on the anniversary.

Her Majesty Queen Camilla delivers the Commonwealth Women's Forum keynote

Queen Camilla visited the AUA campus at 1:00 p.m. to deliver the keynote address to the Commonwealth Women's Forum. Speaking as President of WOW (Women of the World), she addressed violence against women and girls worldwide and called on delegates to work together to "end domestic and sexual violence across the Commonwealth, now and forever." She said legislative reform alone would not be enough, and that societal attitudes and the culture of silence that allows abuse to persist must also be challenged.

"We stand with you and alongside you, today and every day, in solidarity, sorrow and sympathy."