Belize Joins Regional Push for Reparatory Justice

Belize has taken part in the Third CARICOM Regional Conference on Reparations, held in Barbados from September 17 to 19.  The country was represented by Nuri Muhammad on behalf of Belize’s Pro-Tem Reparations Committee.  The conference was held under the theme, “Reparatory Justice as the Coming Enlightenment,” and brought Caribbean representatives together to discuss the next steps in the regional reparations movement.  According to the National Institute of Culture and History, it was the first regional reparations conference since the United Nations General Assembly declared the enslavement of Africans “the gravest crime against humanity” in March.  The meeting also saw the relaunch of CARICOM’s revised Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice. The plan covers several areas, including public health, education, debt cancellation, gender justice and monetary compensation.  The discussions focused on moving beyond making the historical case for reparations and deciding what meaningful repair should look like for Caribbean people and future generations.  Belize’s Pro-Tem Reparations Committee will now review the outcomes of the conference and decide on its next steps at both the national and regional levels.