A UK-based Christian charity has been criticised by the Barbados government over its pledge to spend £7m in the country in reparations for its past links to slavery, according to media reports.
The Telegraph reported that representatives from the Barbados government’s national task force on reparations have criticised the United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) for not negotiating the terms nor the amount of the payments with them.
David Comissiong, deputy chairman of the national task force on reparations, is quoted as saying that organisations such as USPG should understand “that reparations are not about them unilaterally determining what compensation they are prepared to make”.
Barbados MP Trevor Prescod is also quoted as saying: “They did not pass money into the hands of any state agency. We have no authority to see if they will execute the project.”
However, a spokesman for the USPG is quoted as saying: “The project has been developed in close partnership with the Codrington Trust in Barbados, who own and manage the estates. Indeed, the programme proposals have come entirely from the Codrington Trust.
“As an organisation, we are seeking to take responsibility for our actions in the past through this programme of reparative activity. We will continue to be guided by our partnership with the Codrington Trust around the approach to reparations in Barbados.”
USPG announced earlier this month that it had pledged £7m to be spent in Barbados over the next 10 to 15 years as part of a long-term initiative called Renewal & Reconciliation: The Codrington Reparations Project.
The charity said the project was in partnership with Codrington Trust and Church in the Province of the West Indies in Barbados.
Its work, expected to commence in spring 2024, will include four areas of work in collaboration with the descendants of the people who were enslaved; community development and engagement; historical research and education; burial places and memorialisation, and family research.
Civil Society has asked USPG for further comment.
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