Acting Foreign Minister Humaiun Kobir led the Bangladesh delegation to the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at the Antigua and Barbuda National Performing Arts Centre in St. John’s on Tuesday.

The ceremony was attended by Head of the Commonwealth King Charles III, host Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Heads of Government, Foreign Ministers and Heads of Delegation from the 56 Commonwealth member states.

This year’s CHOGM is being held under the theme “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.”

The Acting Foreign Minister is scheduled to deliver Bangladesh’s statement at the Executive Session of Commonwealth Heads of Government later this afternoon (local time), said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday night.

Leaders representing nearly a third of the world’s population are meeting on the tiny Caribbean island of Antigua this week to strengthen ties during a time of global political upheaval.

New deals and pledges are expected to emerge from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which is held every two years.

The Commonwealth is made up of 56 nations spanning Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific, most of which were once part of the British Empire. Their leaders are scheduled to attend, along with officials from Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.

“To deal with what to expect in Antigua, I think we need … to look at the world in which we find ourselves today,” Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey told The Associated Press ahead of the meeting.

“We’re looking at issues like conflict, economic shocks, rising costs, climate change, trade, weaponization of tariffs; and all of this hitting directly the pockets of our people.”