The CARICOM Reparations Forum convened on Monday, July 6, 2026, bringing together CARICOM and the Government of Saint Lucia’s National Reparations Committee for the Caribbean Conference on the Global Manifesto for Enlightenment, Socio-Economic Reparatory Justice, Reporting and Sustainable Development. The forum ran from 2:00 to 5:00 PM AST, streamed live via YouTube and social media under the handles @CARICOMorg and @SaintLuciaGovernment.
The panel brought together six voices spanning Caribbean regional politics, economics, law, and international diplomacy. Each speaker addressed a different dimension of the reparatory justice agenda.
What the Forum Set Out to Do
The event’s full title signals a deliberately broad scope. Rather than treating reparations as a narrow financial demand, organizers framed reparatory justice as tied to sustainable development outcomes and formal international reporting mechanisms.
This framing builds on CARICOM’s long-standing Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice. Specifically, the plan lays out demands ranging from a formal apology and debt cancellation to investment in public health, education, and cultural institutions across the region.
Political and Diplomatic Voices
Professor Sir Hilary Beckles chairs the CARICOM Reparations Commission and has led the region’s reparatory justice agenda since spearheading the Ten Point Plan in 2014. He built his career as a historian and Vice-Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies. For decades, he has documented the economic and social legacy of slavery across the Caribbean. That work now anchors his push for a formal reparatory framework with former colonial powers.
As Deputy Secretary-General of the CARICOM Secretariat, Dr. Armstrong Alexis oversees regional coordination across CARICOM’s institutional agenda. He is a Saint Lucian national holding a doctorate from Walden University. His administrative lens links the reparations discussion to CARICOM’s broader integration and development priorities.
Twenty-four years as Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines shaped Dr. Ralph Gonsalves’ approach to regional diplomacy. He now serves as Senior Advisor and “Elder” to The Repair Campaign, a position he took on in March 2026. In this role, he helps pursue reparations from Europe for slavery and native genocide. His decades in government give him a direct line into how reparatory demands translate into diplomatic and legislative strategy.
Grassroots and Economic Voices
Meanwhile, Sheba Thomas-Gifford brings a grassroots perspective as Community Engagement Coordinator for The Repair Campaign. She stepped into the role in April 2025, following previous work as a Development Outreach and Communications Specialist with USAID. Her focus centers on translating the reparations movement into active community participation across the region.
On the financing side, Dr. Hyginus “Gene” Leon leads the Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity as Executive Director. He brings over 30 years of macroeconomic and development finance experience. Before this role, he served as President of the Caribbean Development Bank. His current work centers on structuring financing mechanisms that could support reparatory investment across small island economies.
Finally, Kimani F. Goddard represents the Institute for Knowledge, Intellectual Property & Innovation Economy (IKIPIE). The Saint Lucian institute empowers researchers and faculty to build socially impactful innovations. Its focus spans applied science and culturally grounded creative industries. Goddard herself is a Senior Intellectual Property Law and Policy Advisor with over a decade of experience, a PhD Fellow at Maastricht University, and a Research Fellow at the World Trade Institute in Bern. Her presence at the forum connects reparatory justice to intellectual property rights and the economic potential of Caribbean creative industries.
Why This Forum Matters Now
The timing connects directly to a major global development. Specifically, in March 2026, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution formally recognizing the transatlantic slave trade as one of the gravest crimes against humanity. Ghana spearheaded the measure, backed by a broad coalition of African, Caribbean, and Global South states.
That resolution, while non-binding, calls for formal apologies, financial compensation, restitution of cultural artifacts, and guarantees of non-repetition. As a result, the CARICOM Reparations Forum builds directly on that momentum, translating international recognition into a regional action agenda tied to sustainable development reporting.
Saint Lucia’s Role in the Movement
Saint Lucia’s National Reparations Committee has been especially active. For instance, earlier in 2026, the committee announced plans to revive its National Reparations Lectures in both of the island’s languages, alongside new Reparations and History Broadcasts reaching audiences across the Caribbean.
Hosting this CARICOM-wide forum, therefore, places Saint Lucia at the center of that renewed regional push, alongside the broader CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting taking place the same week.
5 Key Takeaways
- The forum links reparations to sustainable development. It frames reparatory justice as inseparable from public reporting and development outcomes, not just financial compensation.
- Six speakers brought distinct expertise to the panel. From Sir Hilary Beckles’ historical framework to Kimani Goddard’s intellectual property lens, the forum treated reparations as a multidisciplinary issue.
- The March 2026 UN resolution provides new momentum. The General Assembly’s recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity gives regional forums added international weight.
- Financing mechanisms are now part of the conversation. Dr. Gene Leon’s involvement signals growing interest in how development banks could structure reparatory investment.
- Saint Lucia is positioning itself as a regional leader. Reviving national lectures and broadcasts, plus hosting this forum, signals a sustained, long-term commitment beyond a single event.
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