By CARICOM
Photos: CARICOM|Wikimedia Commons
CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett reaffirmed the Community’s pursuit of reparatory justice for genocide, the dispossession of Indigenous peoples and the enslavement of Africans, at the opening ceremony of the Third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations on Thursday, 17 September 2026.
The Conference was held from 17 to 19 September 2026 at the Wyndham Grand Sam Lord’s Castle, St. Philip, Barbados, under the theme “Reparatory Justice as the Coming Enlightenment.”
This major CARICOM forum on reparations comes on the heels of the adoption of the landmark United Nations Resolution A/RES/80/250 on 25 March 2026, which declared the trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as “the gravest crime against humanity.”
Dr Barnett emphasized that Reparations are about recognition, accountability, and transformation, and highlighted the revised CARICOM Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice as a comprehensive framework to address historical wrongs and their contemporary consequences.
The Secretary-General also acknowledged the vital role of civil society, indigenous peoples, and youth in sustaining advocacy across generations. She welcomed delegates from the Caribbean, Africa, the diaspora, and international organizations, stressing that the Conference provides an opportunity to reaffirm principles, renew unity, and strengthen strategies for reparatory justice.
Please listen to her complete remarks below:
