Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has called for small states to play a central role in reshaping the international system, arguing that a fairer and more effective multilateral order depends on giving them a stronger voice in global decision-making.

Clark made the remarks during a Marlborough House Conversation hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat in the lead-up to the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which Antigua and Barbuda will host this November.
The discussion examined the role of Commonwealth small states in an increasingly multipolar world, where emerging and middle powers are becoming more influential in international affairs.

Opening the event, Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey said the Commonwealth must move beyond viewing small states solely through the lens of vulnerability.

“We must change the narrative around small states. We cannot speak only of vulnerability. Commonwealth small states are often the clearest voices in global affairs: they understand interdependence because they live it,” Botchwey said.

She added that the Commonwealth’s unique model—where each of its 56 member countries has an equal voice regardless of size—should be transformed into meaningful global influence.

“Our task now is to turn that principle into influence, and I am determined that the Commonwealth will be an instrument for the transformation of its small states,” she said.

Clark, who also chairs the Global Leadership Foundation and previously served as Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), warned that the international system is under growing pressure as geopolitical power shifts.

“The multilateral system was built on the promise that every nation, whatever its size, has a stake and a say in our shared future. That promise is fraying,” Clark said.
She cautioned against replacing one group of dominant powers with another, arguing that small states contribute leadership that far outweighs their size.

“Small states bring moral clarity, hard-won experience and outsized leadership on climate, on oceans and on peace. A revitalised multilateralism must make room for them—not as an act of charity, but because the system will be stronger and more legitimate for it,” she said.

(L-R) Helen Clark, Former New Zealand Prime Minister; Karen-Mae Hill, High Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda to the United Kingdom; Bill Blair, Canadian Diplomat

Also participating in the discussion was Bill Blair, who stressed that middle powers have a responsibility to work alongside smaller nations rather than dominate them.

“Canada believes that a rules-based international order only works if it works for everyone. Middle powers have a responsibility not to replicate the patterns of dominance we seek to change, but to open doors and build coalitions with small states as genuine partners,” Blair said.

The conversation was moderated by Antigua and Barbuda’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Karen-Mae Hill, who highlighted the significance of Antigua and Barbuda hosting CHOGM 2026.

“As Antigua and Barbuda prepares to welcome Commonwealth leaders to CHOGM 2026, this conversation could not be more timely,” Hill said.

“Small states are not asking for a seat at the margins of a new world order; we are asserting our place at its heart.”

She added that she looks forward to greater international recognition of the contribution small states continue to make to multilateral diplomacy.

The event forms part of a series of policy dialogues organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat ahead of CHOGM 2026, which will be hosted in Antigua and Barbuda under the theme “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.”

The Commonwealth comprises 56 member countries, including 33 small states, many of which have been at the forefront of international advocacy on climate change, ocean protection and sustainable development despite their limited size and resources.