The Lancet Commission on Reparations and Redistributive Justice

Date: 

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 (All day) to Wednesday, July 24, 2019 (All day)

Location: 

Harvard Medical School Center for Global Health Delivery-Dubai

Reparations CommissionThe Lancet Commission on Reparations and Redistributive Justice, held its first meeting at the Harvard Medical School Center for Global Health Delivery–Dubai, UAE.

The Commission was established to explore moral, legal, economic, historical, and political evidence for various global claims to reparations and redistributive justice. By bringing together scholars and activists from around the world, they are aiming to foster a collaborative, interdisciplinary inquiry that will explore both the assessment of, and redress for, human rights violations committed over the past several centuries.

The meeting welcomed 17 participants who presented and discussed potential themes and approaches to reparations claims in 12 different areas, including climate justice, structural adjustment, Caribbean slavery and native genocide, victims of gender violence, descendants of U.S. slaves, the Indian Caste system, and Native American genocide and land theft, among others. Group discussions were held to share ideas, recommendations, and input from the various disciplines represented. The goal is to produce a special issue of The Lancet in about 18 months.

The next meeting will be held at the Radcliffe Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA in November 2019. The Commission’s website is here.

Number of Participants: 17

Number of Countries: 8

Countries Represented: Canada, Columbia, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Jamaica, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America