Prime Minister Browne Leads Antigua and Barbuda Delegation to 81st United Nations General Assembly

NEW YORK, USA - 23rd September, 2026....Prime Minister the Right Honourable Gaston Browne is in New York leading Antigua and Barbuda's delegation to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81), where he will participate in a packed programme of high-level meetings, bilateral engagements and international forums focused on issues of critical importance to Antigua and Barbuda and other Small Island Developing States.

The Prime Minister is accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Honourable E.P. Chet Greene; Minister for Health, Wellness and the Environment, the Honourable Michael Joseph; and Antigua and Barbuda's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Walton Webson.

The 81st Session is being convened under the theme Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all. The General Debate is taking place from September 22-28, bringing Heads of State and Government to New York to address major global challenges.

Prime Minister Browne said Antigua and Barbuda's participation will continue the country's longstanding advocacy for a stronger and fairer international system that recognises the particular vulnerabilities and development needs of small states.

For Antigua and Barbuda, the United Nations General Assembly is an important opportunity to ensure that the voices and concerns of small states are heard at the highest levels. We come to New York prepared to engage constructively, to strengthen partnerships and to advance practical solutions on the issues that directly affect the development and wellbeing of our people, Prime Minister Browne stated.

Prime Minister Browne's programme begins Wednesday with participation in Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions, followed by an OECS meeting with the European Union at the EU Delegation to the United Nations. The OECS-EU discussions are scheduled to focus on Citizenship by Investment Programmes, an issue of significant importance to participating OECS Member States.

Later Wednesday, the Prime Minister is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, H.E. Judith Suminwa Tuluka, and former President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa. His programme also includes participation in an international discussion on eye health and a reception hosted by Prime Minister Browne and Ms. Espinosa who is Antigua and Barbuda's candidate for the post of UN Secretary General.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Browne is scheduled to participate in the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Leaders' Meeting, where he will make an intervention. The engagement provides another platform for Antigua and Barbuda to advance issues affecting SIDS within the international system.

His programme also includes scheduled engagements with India's Foreign Minister; Saudi businessman Yazeed AlYahya, whose company has expressed interest in exploring investment opportunities in Antigua and Barbuda; the Open Society Foundations; and the Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.

Prime Minister Browne will also participate in Powering the OECS: A Renewable Energy Transition Roundtable on Thursday evening.

The Prime Minister said the range of engagements reflects Antigua and Barbuda's approach of using diplomacy not only to articulate positions internationally but also to pursue concrete opportunities for national and regional development.

Our diplomacy must deliver tangible benefits for our citizens. Whether we are discussing climate vulnerability, investment, energy, connectivity, health, development financing or the international treatment of our economic programmes, our objective is to build partnerships that strengthen the resilience and prosperity of Antigua and Barbuda, Prime Minister Browne said.

Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene, who recently assumed the Chairmanship of the OECS Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, will support the Prime Minister in several of the diplomatic engagements.

Prime Minister Browne said Antigua and Barbuda will continue to use its international presence to advocate for multilateralism and for a global system that responds meaningfully to the circumstances of small and vulnerable states.

Small states cannot afford to be spectators in the international system. We must participate, we must advocate, and we must build strategic partnerships. Antigua and Barbuda will continue to make its voice heard and to insist that multilateralism must deliver fairly and effectively for all nations, irrespective of their size, he stated.