King Charles Acknowledges Commonwealth's 'Painful' History with Slavery on Summit Agenda

APIA, Samoa (Reuters) - On Friday 25 October 2024, the UK's King Charles said the Commonwealth should acknowledge its "painful" history, as African and Caribbean nations continue to advocate for reparations for the country's role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Representatives of 56 countries, most with roots in Britain's empire, are attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that began in Samoa on Monday, with slavery and the threat of climate change emerging as major themes.

"I understand from listening to people across the Commonwealth how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate," Charles said in a speech to the summit. "It is vital, therefore, that we understand our history, to guide us towards making the right choices in future."

The demand for Britain to pay reparations or make other amends for transatlantic slavery is a long-standing one, but has recently gained momentum worldwide, particularly among the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union.

Opponents of reparations payments say countries should not be held responsible for historical wrongs, while those in favour say the legacy of slavery has led to vast and persistent racial inequality today.

British Prime Minster Kier Starmer said on Monday 21 October 2024 that the country would listen to nations who wanted to discuss the issue at the summit, but ruled out apologising for the country's historic role in the trade.

Bahamas Foreign Minister Frederick Mitchell told the BBC on Thursday 24 October 2024 that the summit's draft conclusion, expected to be published on Saturday 26 October 2024, had paragraphs calling for a discussion on reparations.

From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly taken by European ships and merchants and sold into slavery.

Those who survived the brutal voyages ended up toiling on plantations in inhumane conditions in the Americas, while others profited from their labour.

"We have demonstrated an unparalleled ability to confound the painful history which brought us together and sit together as equals for 75 years," Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland, a British diplomat and lawyer who was born in Dominica, told the summit.

Climate pledge

During the summit, member countries are also expected to sign the Commonwealth Ocean Declaration, that aims to boost financing to ensure a healthy ocean and fix maritime boundaries even if small island nations eventually become unliveable.

"What the Ocean Declaration seeks to do and to say is that once your marine boundaries are fixed, they’re fixed in perpetuity," Scotland said in an interview. "This is incredibly important because it will give real hope to many who are frightened and are feeling no one’s watching, no one's listening, no one’s caring - and that’s not true."

More than half of the Commonwealth's members are small nations, many of them low-lying islands at risk from rising sea levels caused by climate change.

"You come to this beautiful paradise, and then you realise that paradise is in danger," Scotland said.