“As we honour the sacrifices of those who resisted enslavement and relentlessly demanded emancipation, we draw inspiration from their vision of freedom rooted in justice, human dignity and equality.”
By CARICOM Reparations Commission
On Emancipation Day 2026, the CARICOM Reparations Commission joins the people of the Caribbean, Africa and the global African diaspora in honouring the courage, resistance and unyielding determination of our ancestors, who fought for freedom against one of history’s most pernicious and enduring systems of oppression. As we come together to celebrate their triumph over racialised chattel enslavement, we are reminded that the struggle for justice, dignity, and equality remains unfinished.
This year’s observance has particular significance as it comes in the wake of the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly on 25 March 2026, of the landmark Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity. This historic recognition affirms what descendants of the victims of enslavement, scholars and advocates have long asserted: that the transatlantic trafficking of Africans and the system of racialised chattel enslavement was a brutal dehumanising crime whose devastating consequences continue to shape the social, economic, political, and developmental realities of nations and peoples across the Caribbean and the African diaspora. The Resolution strengthens the moral and political foundation for reparatory justice and marks an important milestone in the international community’s acknowledgement of historical truth.
This Emancipation Day also heralds the 25 Anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. The Durban Declaration remains the most comprehensive international framework for confronting the enduring legacies of enslavement, colonialism and systemic racism. As the international community prepares to commemorate this important anniversary, the CARICOM Reparations Commission calls upon all states to renew their commitment to the full implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and to resist efforts to diminish its enduring relevance.
For the Caribbean Community, Emancipation Day is inextricably linked with the movement for reparatory justice. Political freedom, though hard won, did not erase the profound structural inequalities created by centuries of exploitation. The wealth extracted from enslaved African labour financed the development of European empires while leaving Caribbean societies to contend with underdevelopment, economic dependency, and persistent racial disparities. These historical injustices continue to impede sustainable development and demand meaningful redress.
The CARICOM Reparations Commission has therefore relaunched the expanded CARICOM Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice: A Manifesto for the Coming Enlightenment, to serve as a framework for former colonizing states, private corporations, academia, the church, civil society and all people of goodwill, to engage in honest dialogue, acknowledge historical responsibility and embrace reparatory justice as an essential pillar of reconciliation, shared human progress and the coming enlightenment.
As we honour the sacrifices of those who resisted enslavement and relentlessly demanded emancipation, we draw inspiration from their vision of freedom rooted in justice, human dignity and equality. Their struggle compels us to continue building societies free from racism, discrimination, and exclusion. Together, let us transform remembrance into resolve and justice into reality for present and future generations.