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UK agrees to ‘good-faith’ talks on slavery at Commonwealth summit
UK agrees to ‘good-faith’ talks on slavery at Commonwealth summit
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London, The UK has agreed to a time-bound "good-faith" dialogue to address the issue of the historical slave trade with African nations, according to a joint statement issued by world leaders at the Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting communique issued on Wednesday highlighted the agreement under a section entitled 'Reparatory Justice'.
The issue of Britain's role in transatlantic slave trade had dominated the agenda for the summit, with King Charles III describing it as a "shameful chapter" in his address as the head of the Commonwealth.
"We welcome the agreement of the government of the United Kingdom to engage in a structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith dialogue with affected parties addressing the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and its historical harms," reads the communique.
It referenced the adoption of a United Nations General Assembly Resolution entitled 'Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime against Humanity', as well as other initiatives undertaken by the African Union and the Caribbean Community , "to advance the reparatory justice agenda and restitution of cultural heritage".
It came after Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who attended CHOGM with the King, said Britain was "open" to making a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.
However, he ruled out the prospect of paying any financial reparations in relation to the historic slave trade.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials said the timeframe for the process would be agreed at a later date, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband indicating a 12-month timeline for the process.
Previously, Burnham said he has "been very clear that we do not support reparations" but has set out plans for a "debt reset" aimed at helping poorer countries struggling with repayments to borrowers.
He has argued that work to support Commonwealth member states amid a rise in global interest rate costs must include the private sector. The UK has also announced that it will allocate 40 million pounds over three years to help support infrastructure investment, including green energy in the Caribbean.
It came amid calls from leaders of African and Caribbean Commonwealth nations to pay reparations for the long-term impacts of slavery.
"The transatlantic trade in enslaved persons still casts a shadow over these islands and other members of our Commonwealth," King Charles said in his address earlier this week.
"As I have said before, that shameful chapter of history is one that fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow.
"And yet history also teaches us that evil need not have the last word; that character and courage can combine to overcome the most monstrous injustice, as they did with the determination to end international trade in enslaved people, in which the Royal Navy played such a leading role," he said.
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