Her argument comes as the question of reparations for slavery gains renewed international attention in 2026, more than two centuries after an uprising by enslaved people helped change the course of the transatlantic slave trade.

On the night of August 22 into August 23, 1791, enslaved people in the French colony of Saint-Domingue rose against the system that had stripped them of their freedom.

The uprising marked the beginning of the Haitian Revolution and played a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. More than two centuries later, August 23 is observed as UNESCO's International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition .

But in 2026, remembrance comes with another question: What is owed to the people and societies that continue to live with the consequences?

The scale of what happened is difficult to reduce to a single number. SlaveVoyages , one of the world's leading databases on the transatlantic trade, estimates that about 12.5 million African men, women and children were forced aboard ships bound across the Atlantic between 1501 and 1866. About 10.7 million disembarked. Researchers estimate that roughly 41,000 voyages departed Africa carrying enslaved people.

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has argued that even the language used to describe those millions matters.

“Truth begins with language, with the power that words hold to shape consciousness, to shift perspective, to propel action,” Mahama told a UN event on reparatory justice in March.

“There is no such thing as a slave. There were human beings who were trafficked and then enslaved by people who believed they could own those human beings as chattel, as their personal property.”

From human lives to trillions of dollars

Those people were transported primarily to the Caribbean and the Americas, where their labour became part of economies built around commodities including sugar and other agricultural products.

Centuries later, economists have attempted something much more difficult: putting a financial value on the damage.

A 2023 Brattle Group study prepared for The University of the West Indies and The American Society of International Law's Second Symposium on Reparations Under International Law estimated $100 trillion to $131 trillion in reparations for transatlantic chattel slavery in the Americas and Caribbean.

The researchers calculated between $77 trillion and $108 trillion for harms during enslavement and another $23 trillion for continuing post-enslavement harms. Their calculations covered an estimated 19 million people, including Africans transported across the Atlantic and people subsequently born into slavery. They also acknowledged that some harms could not be given a meaningful financial value.

But compensation has been paid before

The idea of attaching money to the end of slavery is not new.

When Britain abolished slavery across much of its empire in the 1830s, its government approved £20 million in compensation for enslavers for the loss of people who had legally been treated as their “property”.

The Bank of England says the payment was an unprecedented addition to Britain's national debt outside wartime.

The people who had been enslaved received no compensation. Instead, many were required to continue working without wages under an “apprenticeship” system following emancipation.

University College London (UCL) estimates the £20 million paid to enslavers would be worth about £16.5 billion in today's money using one modern-value comparison.

That history adds another dimension to the modern reparations debate. The question is not simply whether governments have ever compensated people for the abolition of slavery, but who was considered entitled to that compensation.

In 2026, the debate reached the UN

On March 25, the United Nations General Assembly voted 123-3, with 52 abstentions, for a Ghana-led resolution recognising the trafficking and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the “gravest crime against humanity.”

Argentina, Israel and the United States voted against it.

Before the vote, Mahama told the General Assembly that countries had gathered to “affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice.”

The resolution is not legally binding and does not force countries to make financial payments. But it calls for discussions on reparatory justice, including formal apologies, restitution, compensation, rehabilitation and guarantees of non-repetition. It also calls for the return of cultural property to countries of origin.

Its adoption moved an argument long championed by African and Caribbean countries further into international diplomacy.

The Caribbean is also pushing ahead. In July, CARICOM leaders approved a revised Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice, intended to guide the region's reparations campaign.

CARICOM argues that wealth generated through enslaved African labour helped develop European empires while Caribbean societies were left dealing with the long-term consequences of slavery and colonialism.

What happens after reparations?

Cummings, who is also the founder and publisher of Africa-Caribbean Insights, argues that reparations should address the barriers that have prevented descendants of enslaved people from accessing opportunities to build wealth.

That could mean investment in education, access to capital, entrepreneurship, land and housing opportunities and skills development, creating pathways for people to build businesses and generational wealth.

The real measure, she argues, would be what society looks like afterwards.

“A society with a larger and more economically empowered middle class, more thriving businesses, greater access to quality education, stronger household purchasing power and greater economic mobility,” she told Global South World.

"The ultimate measure of reparations should be whether they help transform people from recipients of compensation into creators of wealth, opportunity and prosperity for generations to come.”

The European Union has introduced sweeping changes to the way low-value imports are handled, ending a long-standing system that allowed millions of inexpensive parcels to enter the bloc with minimal customs scrutiny.

Since 1 July 2026, new customs rules have been designed to tighten oversight of cross-border e-commerce, improve product safety and create fairer competition for European retailers.

The reform, proposed by the European Commission as part of its Customs Union overhaul, comes after a surge in small parcels shipped directly to EU consumers. According to the Commission, around 5.8 billion low-value consignments entered the EU in 2025, equivalent to roughly 12 million parcels every day. Approximately 90% of those shipments originated from China , with platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress accounting for a significant share of the volume.

Under the new framework, every imported parcel will require a customs declaration, including consignments valued below €150, which previously benefited from simplified procedures.

Online marketplaces also face a handling fee on direct-to-consumer shipments. The European Commission has proposed a €2 fee for parcels handled through the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) system and €3 for consignments processed outside that scheme.

The measure still requires approval by EU member states and the European Parliament, but customs reforms introducing stricter controls have begun taking effect from July. Reuters has reported that the proposed fee is intended to help national customs authorities manage the rapidly growing volume of imports.

Consumers may therefore face higher final prices as retailers pass on some of the additional administrative and customs costs.

EU officials argue that the existing system has struggled to cope with the explosive growth of ultra-low-cost online shopping.

The Council of the European Union and the European Commission say the reforms aim to reduce unfair competition for European businesses, strengthen customs enforcement and improve checks on products entering the single market. Authorities have repeatedly raised concerns about unsafe products, undervalued shipments and counterfeit goods entering through high-volume e-commerce channels.

The Commission estimates that the previous customs framework was designed for a far smaller volume of imports and no longer reflects today's digital retail market.

Haiti’s political transition is facing fresh scrutiny after reports of “selective dismissals” involving Hans Joseph. At the same time, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and Uder Antoine are described as being protected “for the cause”. The briefing does not provide the full article text. Still, the headline suggests accusations that removals within the transition structure are being applied unevenly, a sensitive issue in a country already struggling with weak institutions, gang violence, and public distrust.

Aid group warns displaced children face rising sexual exploitation

An organisation has warned that displaced children in Haiti are facing increasing sexual exploitation , adding to wider alarm over the collapse of child protection in camps and informal shelters. The warning fits a broader humanitarian pattern documented by UNICEF, which reported a 1,000% increase in sexual violence against children between 2023 and 2024. UNICEF has also warned that continued displacement exposes children to gang recruitment, with children estimated to make up around 50% of gang members in Haiti.

Alix Didier Fils-Aimé travels to Saint Lucia for CARICOM summit

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé left Haiti for Saint Lucia for the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM , which is being held in Gros Islet from July 5 to 8, 2026. The summit is chaired by Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, who assumed the CARICOM chairmanship on July 1. For Haiti, the meeting matters because CARICOM has remained one of the main regional diplomatic platforms involved in discussions around Haiti’s transition, security crisis, humanitarian emergency, and political roadmap.

Cap-Haïtien celebrates its Grenadiers in festive atmosphere

Cap-Haïtien celebrated Haiti’s Grenadiers in a festive atmosphere , reflecting how football continues to serve as a rare source of national pride and unity amid the country’s political and security crisis. The briefing does not include the match details or quotes, but the headline confirms that the northern city held public celebrations around the national team. The moment is significant because Haiti’s sporting successes often carry meaning beyond football, offering Haitians a shared emotional release at a time when many communities are dealing with displacement, violence, and economic hardship.

CARICOM mission signals Haiti’s search for regional backing

The repeated mention of Fils-Aimé’s Saint Lucia mission shows how central CARICOM diplomacy has become to Haiti’s political moment. The Saint Lucia summit is expected to cover major regional priorities, but Haiti’s crisis remains one of the Caribbean bloc’s most urgent concerns. CARICOM says heads of government will meet from July 6 to 8 after the opening ceremony, with business sessions focused on issues critical to the regional agenda. For Fils-Aimé, the trip is both diplomatic and political: it allows Haiti to seek continued regional support while trying to show that the transitional authorities remain engaged with Caribbean partners despite deep domestic instability.