We support people's participation in democracy and development

Following the Creative Open Call launch, the Commonwealth Foundation will host a stakeholders’ engagement session bringing together civil society leaders, partners, and key actors to discuss priorities for the Commonwealth People’s Forum 2026. 

The session will provide space to explore key thematic questions and gather feedback to inform next steps. Participants will also discuss how stakeholders can remain engaged and contribute to shaping the People’s Forum in the months ahead.

The Commonwealth Foundation will unveil a major new creative initiative—How to Make a Commonwealth Quilt’—for the first time in the Caribbean, part of the creative vision that will shape the Commonwealth People’s Forum 2026.  

This hybrid launch event will unveil the official creative prompt and outline of how artists across the Commonwealth can contribute to the Forum through a wide range of artistic forms. The programme will include remarks from regional and Commonwealth leaders, a creative performance, and a call to action for artists and creative sector organisations, followed by media engagement. 

The Commonwealth Foundation will convene a Caribbean civil society consultation alongside the 2026 Caribbean Regional CSO Conference, hosted by Global Affairs Canada in collaboration with the Caribbean Development Bank. 

Designed as a creative, participatory, and interactive space, the consultation will bring together civil society organisations, youth-led groups, community-based organisations, regional advocates, and creative practitioners from across the Caribbean to engage with the themes of the Commonwealth People’s Forum 2026. 

Through facilitated dialogue, case study sharing, and a World Café engagement, participants will explore key issues facing Caribbean civil society, including equity, civic space, and reparatory justice.  

The Commonwealth Foundation, in collaboration with the Caribbean Development Bank, will convene a one-hour session focused on investing for impact in civil society. The session will introduce the Foundation’s role in supporting civil society organisations across the Caribbean and the wider Commonwealth and share an early overview of our forthcoming strategic direction.  

Through short presentations and facilitated discussion, the session will explore how strategic investments can support sustained and transformative impact. Contributions from civil society organisations will highlight practical case studies, with presenters reflecting on key investments that contributed to the success of specific campaigns or initiatives. 

The session will conclude with a facilitated Q&A and an announcement of our Creative Open Call.