Commonwealth leaders from 56 countries announced on Saturday that they will discuss demands for reparations from the UK for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.

The schedule for the meeting was released during the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, stating that the leaders will “play an active role in bringing about such inclusive conversations,” referring to discussions on reparatory justice regarding the trans-Atlantic trade and chattel enslavement of Africans. According to Al Jazeera, a section calling for discussion of reparations was proposed but vetoed by the UK.  The agenda item was included despite this veto.

In an interview for the BBC, Bahamas Minister for Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell stated that there is a hesitation by the UK to discuss this topic, but the discussion needs to be had nonetheless, as the consequences of the trans-Atlantic slavery still persist in commonwealth nations’ societies.

In a speech in during the CHOGM, King Charles stated that while the past cannot be changed it is imperative to learn lessons from the history, indirectly acknowledging the calls for his recognition of the UK’s role in the slave trade.

Historically, European countries have been resistant to the demands of former colonies for reparations to compensate for past harm.

The transatlantic slave trade, which began with British involvement in 1562, saw Britain become the world’s largest slave-trading nation by the 1730s. The system operated on a triangular route; British ships transported goods to Africa, exchanged them for enslaved Africans, and then carried those individuals across the Atlantic to work on plantations in the Americas, particularly in the Caribbean and North America. Over the course of almost 200 years, millions of Africans were forcibly transported from their homes.

By the late 18th century, attitudes toward slavery began to shift, leading to a growing abolition movement. This, combined with the advent of the industrial revolution, culminated in the passing of the Slave Trade Abolition Act in 1807. While this act prohibited the legal trade of enslaved individuals, it did not end slavery itself, which continued in the British colonies until the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.