CARICOM to Put Reparations at Centre of CHOGM in Antigua

Caribbean leaders have agreed to make reparatory justice a major focus of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda later this year, as the region intensifies its campaign for compensation over the legacy of slavery and colonialism.

The decision was announced in the communiqué issued following the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), held in Saint Lucia from July 5 to 8.

Heads of Government approved the “CARICOM Ten Point Plan for Reparations: A Manifesto for the Coming Enlightenment” and endorsed several initiatives aimed at advancing the regional reparations agenda ahead of CHOGM, which Antigua and Barbuda will host in November.

Among those initiatives is ensuring a strong reparations presence during the Commonwealth summit, where leaders from across the Commonwealth, including countries with colonial histories in the Caribbean, are expected to gather.

CARICOM also committed to continued collaboration with the African Union, support for the Third Regional Conference on Reparations in Barbados on September 18 and 19, and the unveiling of the Newton Enslaved Burial Ground Memorial in Barbados in November.

The regional bloc further backed Jamaica’s planned reparations petition to King Charles III, which is scheduled to be presented in London on September 7. The petition forms part of CARICOM’s wider effort to secure reparatory justice from former colonial powers for the enduring social and economic effects of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery.

The decision places Antigua and Barbuda at the centre of one of the Caribbean’s most significant diplomatic initiatives as the country prepares to host CHOGM, where reparations are expected to feature prominently on the regional agenda.

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