Opening Ceremony of Third CARICOM Reparations Conference Sets Tone for Regional Push for Justice
The Third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations opened in Barbados on Thursday, September 17, with CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett reaffirming the Community’s commitment to advancing reparatory justice for the historical crimes of genocide, dispossession of Indigenous peoples, the trafficking of enslaved Africans and African chattel enslavement. Speaking at the opening ceremony at the Wyndham Grand Sam Lord’s Castle in Saint Philip, Dr Barnett said reparations must be understood as a question of justice, recognition, accountability and transformation. The CARICOM Secretariat reported that she also highlighted the revised CARICOM Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice as the framework for advancing the region’s agenda.
The opening ceremony also placed particular emphasis on strengthening Caribbean cooperation with Africa and other partners in advancing the reparations movement. According to the CARICOM Secretariat’s account of the ceremony, Dr Barnett pointed to the partnership between CARICOM and the African Union, including the Addis Ababa Declaration adopted at the Second Africa-CARICOM Summit in 2025, while also welcoming representatives of Indigenous peoples, civil society and youth to the conference. She said these groups have an important role in shaping the next stage of the reparations agenda and ensuring that the movement remains connected to the communities affected by the historical injustices under discussion. The focus of the ongoing conference is moving from historical recognition towards practical measures for reparatory justice, with discussions centred on implementation of the revised CARICOM Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice. The Government Information Service of Barbados reports that the conference is examining new perspectives emerging from African and Caribbean political discourse while assessing developments in the wider reparations movement.
The ceremony set the tone for the three-day conference, which runs from September 17 to 19 under the theme “Reparatory Justice as the Coming Enlightenment.” The CARICOM conference programme says the gathering is focused on practical guidance for implementing the revised Ten-Point Plan and assessing developments in the global reparations movement. Dr Barnett closed the opening ceremony by calling for stronger regional unity, sustained diplomatic engagement and research that can translate the reparations campaign into policies and programmes capable of improving the lives of Caribbean people.
