The Caribbean Community (Caricom) is poised to move the global campaign for reparations for the centuries of harm caused by slavery and colonialism into a critical new implementation phase, with a landmark regional conference set to take place in Barbados from September 17 to 19. Organized by the Caricom Reparations Commission (CRC), the government of Barbados and the Caricom Secretariat, this gathering marks the first major regional summit focused on reparatory justice in over a decade, following earlier meetings held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2013 and Antigua and Barbuda in 2014. The conference carries the forward-thinking theme “Reparatory Justice as the Coming Enlightenment,” and will center on shifting the global conversation from formal recognition and symbolic political statements to tangible, actionable reparations measures. The conference comes at a pivotal moment for the global reparations movement. In March of this year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/80/250, which formally classifies the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and race-based chattel slavery as one of the worst crimes against humanity in recorded history. Caricom has hailed this resolution as a landmark strengthening of both the legal and political foundation of its decades-long push for reparatory justice. Just this week, another significant legal development boosted the movement: the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination confirmed that signatory nations to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination are legally required to consider reparations measures to address the ongoing harms of the transatlantic slave trade. The committee clarified that reparations extend far beyond direct financial compensation, encompassing actions such as opening restricted historical archives, supporting formal truth-telling processes, and reforming how societies publicly memorialize the history of slavery. At the core of the Barbados conference will be the revised Caricom Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice, which received formal approval from Caricom heads of government in July. The original framework, first launched years ago, already includes key demands such as formal public apologies from former colonial powers, targeted development programs for Indigenous communities, investment in cultural institutions, improved public health and education infrastructure, technology transfer, multilateral debt cancellation, and targeted financial reparations. The revised plan will guide the movement’s work over the coming five years, and conference delegates will work to draft concrete operational roadmaps for the 2027-2031 period. A key priority on the agenda is the development of the Bridgetown Action Plan on Reparations, which will outline clear next steps for implementation. Delegates will also work to establish formal frameworks for reparations delivery and expand cross-regional collaboration on digital repositories and accessible historical archives connected to the slave trade. Between 150 and 200 delegates are expected to attend the summit, representing a broad range of stakeholders. In addition to Caricom heads of government and cabinet ministers, the gathering will include representatives from the African Union, the United Nations, national reparations commissions, academic researchers, civil society organizations, youth leaders, and members of the African diaspora. The conference reflects the growing cross-continental collaboration between Caribbean and African nations advancing the global reparations agenda. In June, leaders from African and Caribbean states gathered in Ghana to agree on a joint action framework that covers a wide range of priorities, including formal apologies from former colonial powers, multilateral debt relief, financial compensation, reform of global financial institutions, the creation of a global reparations fund, the repatriation of stolen cultural heritage, and targeted reparations measures to address the disproportionate harm of slavery inflicted on women and girls. For Suriname, a Caricom member state with its own deep history of colonial enslavement that has long supported the community’s reparations program, the upcoming conference carries direct national significance. Suriname President Jennifer Simons has previously reaffirmed the country’s full support for the revised Caricom Ten-Point Plan, tying the nation’s position to the shared historical bonds connecting the Caribbean and Africa and the recent UN recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity. All eyes will now turn to Barbados, where the global reparations movement will seek to prove it can deliver on its long-held goals by moving beyond demands for historical recognition to concrete, accountable action. After decades of debate confirming that slavery and colonialism caused persistent, intergenerational harm that continues to shape global inequality today, the conversation has shifted decisively: the core questions now are what form reparations must take, which nations and institutions bear responsibility for addressing harm, and how former colonial powers that accumulated wealth from centuries of exploitation will contribute to meaningful redress.