Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr Carla Barnett emphasised the importance of a unified approach to reparatory justice when she participated in the First CELAC–Africa High-Level Forum in Bogotá, Colombia on 19 March.
Speaking in a panel discussion on the theme, “Forum on Historical Reparations: Perspectives from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean,” Dr. Barnett said that the issue of reparations should be linked to development outcomes.
“It must therefore be seen as justice plus development. It must not be seen as charity,” she asserted.
The Secretary-General added that the Decade for People of African Descent provides a platform to advance global action toward socioeconomic justice and the recognition of rights of those who bear a colonial legacy.
Reflecting on the 2025 African Union-CARICOM Summit in Ethiopia, the Secretary-General highlighted the commitment to deepen cooperation on reparatory justice and CARICOM’s intention to work closely with Africa to advance this shared priority.
She described the CELAC–Africa engagement as an important step in the collective effort toward reparations and highlighted actions by CARICOM Member States to co-sponsor related resolutions at the United Nations (UN), as well as the Community’s intention to advocate jointly with partners in Africa and Latin America for a High-Level Political Forum on Reparations.
About CARICOM:
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was established on 4 July 1973 with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, which was revised in 2001 to allow for the establishment of a single market and economy. CARICOM comprises fifteen Member States and six Associate Members and is home to approximately sixteen million citizens, 60% of whom are under 30 years old. CARICOM’s work rests on four main pillars: economic integration; foreign policy coordination; human and social development; and security cooperation.
The members of CARICOM work together to create a Community that is integrated, inclusive and resilient; driven by knowledge, excellence, innovation and productivity; a Community which is a unified and competitive force in the global arena, where every citizen is secure and has the opportunity to realise his or her potential with guaranteed human rights and social justice, and contributes to, and shares in, its economic, social and cultural prosperity.
CARICOM remains one of the best examples of integration in the developing world.
The CARICOM Secretariat, the principal administrative organ of the Community, is headquartered in Georgetown, Guyana.