Barbados will host the third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations from September 17 to 19, bringing regional and international voices together to chart the next steps in the Caribbean’s reparatory justice movement. The conference, announced by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), will gather government officials, civil society representatives, academics, and advocates from across the region and beyond to discuss the ongoing push for reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade and chattel slavery.
The meeting follows two earlier regional conferences that helped shape the Caribbean’s unified position on reparations. The first was held in Guyana in 2013, and the second took place in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2014. Since then, the CARICOM Reparations Commission has pressed for formal apologies, debt cancellation, and investment in health, education, and cultural institutions as part of a ten-point action plan presented to European governments.
The upcoming conference in Barbados is expected to review progress made since those earlier gatherings and to strengthen the region’s coordination ahead of international engagements. Organisers say the event will provide a platform for sharing research, building public awareness, and agreeing on new strategies to advance the reparations agenda at the national and regional levels.
Barbados has been a leading voice in the reparatory justice movement. Prime Minister Mia Mottley has repeatedly called on former colonial powers to engage seriously with the region’s demands, and the island has hosted several related events in recent years. The choice of Barbados as host underscores the country’s continued commitment to the cause and its role in shaping the regional narrative on historical injustice.
The conference comes at a time when the reparations debate has gained renewed momentum across the Caribbean and in international forums. Several European governments have begun to acknowledge the historical role their nations played in the slave trade, though concrete commitments remain limited. CARICOM leaders have maintained that reparatory justice is not merely a matter of financial compensation but also of addressing the lasting social and economic inequalities that trace their roots to slavery and colonialism.
Details of the programme, including the list of speakers and the agenda, are expected to be released closer to the date. The conference is open to accredited participants, and organisers have indicated that virtual participation options will be available for those unable to travel to Barbados.
The third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations is being organised by the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with the government of Barbados and the CARICOM Reparations Commission. It is part of a broader regional effort to keep reparatory justice on the agenda of both Caribbean and international institutions, including the United Nations and the African Union.
