A landmark regional gathering advancing the global movement for reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade is set to convene in Barbados in September 2026. Organized jointly by the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC), the Government of Barbados, and the CARICOM Secretariat, the Third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations will run from 17 to 19 September 2026 at the Wyndham Grand Sam Lord’s Castle in Saint Philip, under the central theme “Reparatory Justice as the Coming Enlightenment.”
This major forum comes on the heels of a historic milestone for the reparations movement: the United Nations’ adoption of Resolution A/RES/80/250 on 25 March 2026, which formally recognized the trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of African people as “the gravest crime against humanity.” The resolution provides renewed global legitimacy to CARICOM’s decades-long advocacy for redress, setting the stage for critical conversations at the upcoming conference.
The core mission of the three-day event is to deliver actionable, practical guidance for rolling out the newly revised *CARICOM Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice: A Manifesto for the Coming Enlightenment*. Organizers will center emerging perspectives on reparatory justice rooted in African and Caribbean political discourse, while amplifying public engagement with the updated framework. Attendees will also conduct a comprehensive assessment of global progress across the reparations movement, timed to align with three key global milestones: the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the Second International Decade for People of African Descent, and the African Union Decade for Reparatory Justice.
Beyond policy discussion, the conference aims to deepen collaborative ties between CARICOM, the African Union, grassroots civil society organizations, and the global African diaspora. By invigorating participation across political, diplomatic, and community levels, organizers seek to preserve and expand the growing momentum for systemic change in the international reparations movement.
The conference’s overarching goal is to re-energize CARICOM’s advocacy through the CRC and strengthen solidarity between the African continent and its global diaspora. A central anticipated outcome is the formal adoption of a 2027–2031 Action Plan for Reparatory Justice, which will establish clear, measurable targets for coordinated action among partner organizations across the global African community.
High-profile leaders will lead the conference’s opening proceedings, including Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados; Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General; and Sir Hilary Beckles, Chair of the CRC. A flagship high-level plenary will bring together CARICOM Heads of Government, members of the CARICOM Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Reparations, and senior representatives from the African Union.
The gathering will draw a diverse cross-section of stakeholders from across the globe: CARICOM ministers with oversight for reparatory justice, members of national reparations commissions and committees, CARICOM associate members, United Nations officials, and leading reparations activists from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Latin America. They will be joined by academic scholars, civil society leaders, cultural figures, and youth delegates to ensure intergenerational and multi-sector input.
This third conference builds on a 13-year legacy of regional reparations organizing by CARICOM. The inaugural conference was hosted by St. Vincent and the Grenadines in September 2013, which formally launched the CARICOM Reparations Commission, established the body’s Terms of Reference, and welcomed legendary reggae artist Bunny Wailer as the official patron of the regional movement. The second conference followed in Antigua and Barbuda in September 2014, convening expert panels to unpack key issues aligned with the original 10-point reparations plan, with former Jamaican Prime Minister PJ Patterson delivering the keynote address.
Since 2014, the CRC has continued to advance the discourse through targeted symposia and smaller gatherings. Key past events include an October 2019 conference on “Western Banking, Colonialism and Reparations” in Antigua and Barbuda; a 2020 virtual symposium honoring “Sir William Arthur Lewis: Founder of Reparations for Caribbean Development;” and a March 2023 10th-anniversary symposium in Jamaica, “Reparations and Royalty, Africa and Europe: Exploding Myths and Empowering Truths.”
Full details on the conference agenda and registration are available via the official CARICOM website, with public access to the revised 10-point plan also hosted on the platform.