Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley delivered the keynote address at the Open Society Foundations United Nations – Summit of The Future event in New York City on September 24, 2024, under the theme “The World To Be Imagined: Reparative Futures and Afro-Diplomacy.”

During Prime Minister Mottley’s address she emphasised that reparations, as in the case of The Church of England’s pledge of £100 million, needs to be a conversation with those affected. “The conversation gives us the dignity of agency which has been deprived of us by the actions of the Church of England.”

“When the Church of England …determined that they would give reparations of £100 million… they never stopped to ask us or to have a conversation with us as to what is appropriate – that is unacceptable.”

“I believe that if we are to be true to the notion of being faithful to reparations, then it must be what King Charles called for in his last speech at the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting … that “reparations was a conversation whose time has come.” “

Other distinguished speakers at the event who stood in solidarity with the call for reparations included:

• H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President, The Republic of Ghana

• The Hon. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

• Dr. June Soomer, Chair, UN Permanent Forum of People of African Descent

• H.E. Anielle Franco, Minister of Racial Equality, The Republic of Brazil