Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Commission Urges King Charles to Lead Push for Justice at CHOGM

The Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission has urged King Charles III to use the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to advance reparatory justice for slavery, Indigenous dispossession and the continuing consequences of colonialism.

In an October 21 letter addressed to the King’s Private Secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, commission chairman Ambassador Dorbrene E. O’Marde called for the gathering in Antigua and Barbuda to move the Commonwealth’s reparations discussion towards meaningful action.

The commission welcomed the King’s anticipated visit and argued that his position as Head of the Commonwealth gives him an opportunity to encourage understanding, reconciliation and constructive engagement.

It pointed to the commitment made by Commonwealth leaders at their 2024 meeting in Samoa to engage in a meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation on reparatory justice.

However, the commission expressed disappointment over what it described as a lack of formal progress since that commitment.

“CHOGM 2026 presents an important opportunity to give practical expression to that commitment,” the letter stated.

The commission also acknowledged the King’s previous expressions of sorrow over the suffering caused by enslavement and his support for acknowledging the past.

But it sharply criticised what it characterised as blanket refusals by the British Government and monarchy to apologise, arguing that such a position fails to recognise the experiences of Caribbean people living with the consequences of colonialism.

The letter described that stance as a refusal to accept historical responsibility and questioned what it signalled about respect for the dignity and rights of descendants of enslaved Africans and Indigenous Caribbean peoples.

To support its argument, the commission pointed to apologies it said had been issued by the Church of England and the Church of Scotland over their historical involvement in African enslavement.

It argued that institutions can accept moral responsibility for historical wrongdoing without assigning personal guilt to their present members.

The commission said that principle should also guide the British Government and monarchy in their approach to reparatory justice.

An accompanying addendum outlined international declarations, resolutions and regional initiatives which the commission considers evidence of growing support for historical accountability and reparatory measures.

These included the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, international initiatives concerning people of African descent, and CARICOM’s reparatory justice agenda.

The letter concluded by asking Sir Clive to convey the commission’s appeal for the King to help lead the Commonwealth gathering towards historical accountability and reparatory justice.

Copies were addressed to Antigua and Barbuda’s Governor General and Prime Minister