London, United Kingdom. Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey said she expected member nations to make progress toward beginning negotiations on reparations for the transatlantic slave trade. Britain has dismissed calls for reparations.
Secretary-general comments on negotiations
Botchwey, a former foreign minister of Ghana who has publicly backed reparations from Great Britain, said she was supporting member countries in seeking redress.
“My understanding is that there’s some movement in terms of having parties around the table to decide on the way forward, and the different forms of reparations, how to deal with it going forward will be discussed,” she told Reuters.
She said discussions would be multilateral and would likely involve regional groups the Caribbean Community and the African Union.
Commonwealth background and members
The Commonwealth is a 56-nation group headed by Britain’s King Charles. It grew out of the British Empire and represents around 2.7 billion people. Members include Australia, India, 21 African nations and Caribbean states such as Barbados and Jamaica.
Britain’s position and King Charles’ statements
Charles has spoken of his profound regret over slavery and has backed research into the British monarchy’s historical links to the trade. Britain, like most former colonial powers, has dismissed calls for reparations.
Historical context and regional initiatives
From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were abducted and sold into slavery by European merchants.
Britain was responsible for transporting an estimated 3.2 million people, making it the second most active European nation after Portugal, which enslaved nearly six million.
The African Union last year made reparations its theme of the year and is working on developing a joint stance among member states.
The Caribbean Community has a 10-point reparation plan including a demand for debt forgiveness. That has been opposed by Britain, though Botchwey said she was open to other symbolic forms of redress.
What forms of redress do you think member states will prioritise in any reparations discussions?
