Commonwealth boss confident of progress on slave trade

The secretary-general of the Commonwealth, a 56-nation group headed by Britain's King Charles, said on Wednesday she expected member nations to make progress towards beginning negotiations on reparations for the transatlantic slave trade.



The Commonwealth, which grew out of the British Empire, is one of the world’s largest international organisations, representing around 2.7 billion people.



Its members include Australia, India, 21 African nations ⁠and Caribbean states such as Barbados and Jamaica.



Charles has spoken of his profound regret over slavery and has backed research into the British monarchy’s historical links to the trade.



However, Britain, like most former colonial powers, has dismissed calls for reparations.



In an interview, Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey, a former foreign minister of Ghana who has publicly backed reparations from Great Britain, said she was supporting member countries in seeking redress.