It’s time for talks about reparations, Commonwealth leaders say

Commonwealth leaders have agreed that “the time has come” to have a conversation about reparations for the slave trade, despite the UK’s desire to keep the topic off the agenda of the two-day summit in Samoa.

A document signed by 56 heads of government, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, acknowledges calls for “discussions on reparative justice” for the “abhorrent” trans-Atlantic slave trade.

The statement said it was time to have a “meaningful, honest and respectful conversation.”

Sir Keir said there were no discussions about money at the meeting, and that the UK was “very clear” in its position that it would not pay compensation.

The UK has faced growing calls from Commonwealth leaders to apologize and pay reparations for the country’s historic role in the slave trade.

Reparations for the benefit of those who suffered as a result of slavery It can take many forms, from financial to symbolic.

Ahead of the summit, Downing Street insisted that the issue would not be on the agenda.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Sir Keir said Commonwealth leaders had had a “two positive days” in Samoa and played down the importance of reparations at the summit.

“The dominant theme over both days was resilience and climate,” he said, adding that the portion of the joint statement discussing compensation amounted to “one paragraph out of 20.”

“None of the discussions were about money. Our position is very clear on that,” he said.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the BBC last week The UK will not pay reparations for slavery.

Before the statement was issued, the secret leaders’ meeting – where Commonwealth prime ministers and presidents meet without advisers – lasted for almost six hours.

The Prime Minister said that it was not the talk about compensation that caused it to continue for so long.

A Downing Street source told the BBC: “We have been clear about our position and it has not changed.”

They did, and they didn’t – and the direct nature of their remarks about reparations on the way to the summit angered some of those countries that campaigned on them.

Half the art of diplomacy is keeping the things you want to talk about talked about – keeping the conversation going, even if the prospect of imminent change seems unlikely.

For those who believe it is time for countries like the UK to confront their past, the statement allows them to say that the conversation is ongoing.

For the UK and others, they can say their position remains unchanged and also point to a range of other topics – trade, climate change and security for example – for which they say the Commonwealth provides a vital forum.

However, the Prime Minister appeared to leave the door open for further discussions on some form of reparative justice, saying the “next opportunity to look at this” would be at the British Caribbean Forum.

Frederick Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas, said that leaders hope to reach a “comprehensive report” on this issue at that forum, which will be held in London next March.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that he expected the UK to eventually pay financial compensation to Caribbean countries.

In response to a question about whether the wording of the joint statement was too vague, he said: “Behind the language there is an attempt to move in a certain direction.”

Diplomats said they expected reparative justice to be a major focus on the agenda of the next Commonwealth summit in two years.

Last year, a UN judge said the UK was likely It is owed more than £18 trillion in damages For its role in slavery in 14 Caribbean countries.

But reparative justice can also take the form of a formal apology, educational programs, or public health assistance.

One person supporting reparations is incoming Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who was appointed on Friday.

She currently serves as Ghana’s foreign minister and also supported the drafting of the Commonwealth Free Trade Agreement, according to AFP.

Botchwey said in a statement that she was “truly humbled” but stressed that “the work is indeed ahead of us.”