St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves expressed that he anticipates “mature” dialogues to unfold at the two-day summit between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States (CELAC).
The meeting commences in Brussels on Monday, marking the first of its kind in eight years.
Addressing reparation for slavery
As CELAC’s acting president, Gonsalves expressed his optimism for the final communique to address the pressing issue of reparation for slavery.
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Before the summit’s inauguration, he revealed having pre-summit dialogues with Charles Michel, the President of the EU Council, to facilitate some agreement in the declaration.
Gonsalves has a myriad of issues he hopes will be tackled during the summit. These pressing concerns include climate change, poverty, food security, the need for a global financial architecture reform, digital transition, and the enhancement of multilateralism.
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Strides toward reparative justice
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He expressed his optimism that the summit’s declaration will incorporate a section on the historical impacts of indigenous genocide and African enslavement, and make strides towards reparative justice.
He referenced the English-speaking Caribbean countries, specifically the United Kingdom, now excluded from the EU, where Prince Charles, before his ascension to King Charles, declared at the Commonwealth Heads of Government last year in Rwanda that it was time for a mature dialogue on the matter.
“We have seen apologies issued by some countries, recently the King in the Netherlands. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has put forward a 10-point plan for reparative justice…this is not a plan for individual persons to get money, it’s a plan on many issues involving the question of debt relief, social and inclusive matters in education and health (and) some cultural issues…”
The goal, according to Gonsalves, is to establish a collaborative front between the Caribbean and Europe “on those matters to repair the historical legacies of underdevelopment resulting from native genocide and enslavement of African bodies”
Gonsalves expressed that consensus on the issue will lay a solid foundation for an “intelligent, mature discussion.”