The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is intensifying its campaign for reparatory justice, stressing that its longstanding call for reparations extends far beyond financial compensation and is fundamentally about restoring the dignity, rights, and development opportunities denied to generations of Caribbean people by slavery, colonialism, and indigenous genocide.
The renewed focus comes as regional leaders and reparations advocates gathered in Saint Lucia during the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government, where they examined the Community’s evolving agenda for reparatory justice and reaffirmed support for CARICOM’s Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice.
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Addressing the Caribbean Conference on the Manifesto for the Enlightenment of Humanity, Socio-Economic Reparatory Justice, Reporting and Sustainable Development, former Saint Lucia Ambassador to CARICOM and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. June Soomer, challenged the common perception that the reparations movement is driven primarily by monetary demands.
“It is not about the money. Yes, the money is important, but it is about the return of our dignity, of our personhood, of who we are as a people,” Soomer said.
CARICOM’s Ten Point Plan, first adopted in 2014 and led by the CARICOM Reparations Commission under the chairmanship of Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, serves as the region’s blueprint for engaging former European colonial powers on reparatory justice. Rather than focusing solely on financial compensation, the framework outlines a comprehensive programme aimed at repairing the enduring social, economic, psychological, and cultural damage caused by centuries of enslavement and colonial exploitation.
The plan calls for ten major areas of action, including formal apologies from former colonial governments, programmes to support Indigenous communities, assistance for descendants of enslaved Africans wishing to reconnect with Africa, investment in public health and education, psychological rehabilitation to address intergenerational trauma, cultural heritage restoration, technology transfer, debt relief, and economic development initiatives.
Regional leaders argue that these measures are designed to confront the structural inequalities that continue to affect Caribbean societies and cannot be separated from the region’s contemporary development challenges.
The discussion in Saint Lucia also highlighted CARICOM’s recently developed reparations manifesto, A Manifesto for the Coming Enlightenment, which expands upon the original Ten Point Plan by placing greater emphasis on truth, reconciliation, sustainable development, and confronting the global systems that continue to perpetuate racial inequality. The updated framework also seeks to counter the misconception that reparations are simply about obtaining financial payments from Europe, instead presenting reparatory justice as a pathway toward restoring historical truth and achieving lasting social transformation.
Professor Sir Hilary Beckles has described the manifesto as the next phase of the Caribbean’s reparations movement, arguing that the campaign seeks to correct centuries of historical injustice while promoting partnerships based on equity, accountability, and shared humanity.
The reparations agenda has gained increasing international attention in recent months. Earlier this year, African and Caribbean leaders strengthened their collaboration on reparatory justice following the adoption of a landmark United Nations resolution recognising the transatlantic trafficking and enslavement of Africans as one of history’s gravest crimes against humanity. CARICOM officials believe the growing international recognition provides new momentum for advancing the region’s longstanding campaign.
As CARICOM continues to press its case on the global stage, regional leaders maintain that reparatory justice is ultimately about acknowledging historical wrongdoing, repairing its lasting consequences, and ensuring future generations inherit societies built on equality, justice, and human dignity.
