Antigua and Barbuda Delegation Joins Regional Push for Reparatory Justice in Barbados

Antigua and Barbuda is taking part in a major regional discussion on reparations as a four-member delegation joins Caribbean leaders, scholars and advocates in Barbados for the Third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations.

The conference, being held from September 17 to 19 under the theme “Reparatory Justice as the Coming Enlightenment,” brings together representatives from across the Caribbean and beyond to discuss the region’s continuing efforts to advance reparatory justice.

Representing Antigua and Barbuda are Ambassador Dorbrene O’Marde, Ambassador Anthony Liverpool, Senator Angelica O’Donoghue and Dr. Lenworth Johnson.

The delegation attended Thursday evening’s opening ceremony, which featured remarks from CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and His Highness Papa Paul Jones Eganda, among other regional and international speakers.

Antigua and Barbuda’s representatives are also taking on several roles during the three-day conference.

O’Marde, who chairs the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission and serves as Vice-Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, is moderating a session examining the international structures, agreements and institutions that could be used to advance reparatory justice.

Johnson is scheduled to participate in a panel focusing on historical accountability and redress, including legal, economic and environmental justice.

O’Donoghue is serving as a conference rapporteur and will contribute to the presentation of the Rapporteur’s Report and Summary of Main Recommendations.

Liverpool said the gathering provides an opportunity for reparations movements in the Caribbean to strengthen their coordination while developing partnerships beyond the region.

“The conference provides an opportunity for reparations movements, particularly in the Caribbean, to come together to strategize and synthesize our efforts towards reparatory justice,” Liverpool said.

He added that the conference is also creating opportunities for greater collaboration with national commissions, civil society groups, the African diaspora and the African Union.

The Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission serves as the country’s national reparations commission and is part of the wider movement coordinated through the CARICOM Reparations Commission.

This year’s conference is being described as the first major Caribbean forum focused specifically on reparatory justice in more than a decade. Discussions are expected to centre on advancing the revised CARICOM Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice: A Manifesto for the Coming Enlightenment and identifying practical ways to move the region’s reparations agenda forward.

The conference is also taking place against the backdrop of developments at the international level, including the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption on March 25, 2026, of Resolution A/RES/80/250, concerning the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the racialized chattel enslavement of Africans.

Hosted by the CARICOM Reparations Commission, the Government of Barbados and the CARICOM Secretariat, the conference is bringing together regional and international stakeholders as the Caribbean continues its push for greater recognition, accountability and redress for the historical consequences of slavery and colonialism.