Antigua and Barbuda to Be Represented on CARICOM Reparations Mission to UK

The CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) will visit the United Kingdom from 13 to 16 July 2026 to advance its advocacy for reparatory justice. The delegation’s mission is to strengthen strategic partnerships to promote a programme of public education and civil society engagement on the reparations agenda. Meetings and events will be hosted by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London.

The members of the CRC delegation are Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Chairman, CRC; Dorbrene O’Marde, Chairman, Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission and Vice Chair, CRC; Eric Phillips, Chairman, Guyana Reparations Committee and Vice Chair, CRC; Professor Verene Shepherd, Vice Chair, CRC, and Vice Chair, UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Ambassador David Comissong, Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM.

Dr Ron Daniels, Convenor of the National African Reparations Commission (USA), will also join the delegation.

The Commission’s visit takes place during a period of significant developments in international reparations efforts and as CARICOM Member States prepare for CHOGM 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda and other engagements.

In March 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the landmark Ghana-led resolution declaring the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and chattel enslavement as the “gravest crime against humanity.”

Following this achievement, Ghana hosted the High-Level Consultative Conference on Reparations in Accra in June 2026. Described as a “historic turning point for Africans and People of African descent,” the event brought together governments, international organisations, legal experts, and civil society leaders to develop a unified framework for advancing reparatory justice worldwide.

Additionally, this month the revised “CARICOM Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice: A Manifesto for the Coming Enlightenment” which positions reparations as a “global human rights imperative,” was finalised and approved by the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government who also agreed to several initiatives to advance the Region’s Reparations agenda.

Members of the media are cordially invited to participate in a briefing with CRC representatives, who will share an update on the delegation’s mission and upcoming initiatives.

What: Media Briefing

Where: University of London | Room 261, Senate House
             Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU, United Kingdom

When: Tuesday, 14 July 2026
            2:00 PM BST | United Kingdom
            7:00 AM CST | Belize
            8:00 AM EST | Jamaica
            9:00 AM GYT | Guyana
            9:00 AM AST | Trinidad and Tobago | Barbados
           10:00 AM SRT | Suriname

Virtual participation:  Please register to join the discussion via the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88147256394?pwd=NRg0SZj58IZxc1feRl56mMgLaH1CbL.1

Meeting ID: 881 4725 6394

Passcode: 324515

Members of the media are kindly requested to join the meeting at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time.

Additional information

This is the second official visit by the CRC to the UK as a collective body. The itinerary includes:

• A meeting with CARICOM and AU High Commissioners and Ambassadors
• A public roundtable discussion at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies
• A panel presentation at the UK Parliament, organised by MP Bell Ribeiro Addy who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan Reparations (APPG-AR).

The visit underscores the CRC’s commitment to building international alliances and fostering dialogue around reparatory justice, historical accountability, and socio-economic transformation.

Updates on the mission will be shared via CARICOM.org, CARICOM Social Media platforms and our WhatsApp Community: https://bit.ly/CARICOMWhatsApp 

• Over the past 12 years, the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) has led a vigorous campaign of advocacy and public education on reparatory justice, following its establishment by the Thirty-Fourth Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government in 2013. The CRC has played a pivotal role in revitalising the global movement for reparations.

• Through symposia, public lectures, panel discussions, and publications, the CRC has deepened public understanding of the historical and ongoing impacts of over 300 years of chattel enslavement in the Caribbean. Its conferences—often in collaboration with leading scholars and advocates—have introduced new insights into topics such as the origins of the Western banking system, intergenerational trauma, and the link between slavery and the high prevalence of non-communicable diseases like hypertension in the Region.

• The CRC recently revised the CARICOM Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice, which was originally adopted in 2014 and last updated in 2018. The Ten Point Plan has now been reimagined to reflect shifting global dynamics and incorporate emerging historical and scientific evidence.

• A 2025 poll commissioned by The Repair Campaign, surveying over 2,000 UK adults, revealed widespread gaps in public knowledge about Britain’s role in transatlantic slavery and colonialism. Key findings include:
  • 85% were unaware that Britain forcibly transported over 3 million Africans to the Caribbean.
  • 89% did not know that Britain enslaved people in the Caribbean for more than 300 years.
  • 63% now support a formal apology to Caribbean nations and descendants of enslaved people—up 4% from 2024.
  • 40% support financial reparations, also reflecting a 4% increase from the previous year.

• In 2024, CARICOM made notable strides in advancing the reparations agenda within the Commonwealth. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Apia, Samoa, in October 2024, Heads endorsed language in the final communiqué recognising transatlantic slavery and the trafficking of enslaved Africans as crimes against humanity. Heads also agreed that “the time has come for a meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation towards forging a common future based on equity.”

Helpful Links:

CARICOM Reparations Commission
https://caricomreparations.org/

CARICOM Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice: A Manifesto for the Coming Enlightenment
https://caricom.org/documents/the-caricom-caribbean-community-ten-point-plan-for-reparations-a-manifesto-for-the-coming-enlightenment/ 

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