The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday officially recognized the transatlantic African slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity,” marking a historic step toward acknowledgment, healing, and potential reparations.
The resolution passed with 123 votes in favour, three against, and 52 abstentions.
While widely hailed by African leaders and human rights advocates, the resolution faced opposition from the United States, Israel, and Argentina, and abstentions from Britain and EU member states.
Ghana’s President John Mahama, a prominent advocated for reparations, praised the vote, calling it a “route to healing and reparative justice” and a safeguard against forgetting the atrocities of the slave trade.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underscored the enduring impact of the transatlantic slave trade, stating:
“It was a crime against humanity that struck at the core of personhood, broke up families, and devastated communities.
To justify the unjustifiable, slavery’s proponents constructed a racist ideology, turning prejudice into pseudoscience.”
The United States criticised the resolution as “highly problematic,” rejecting any legal right to reparations for historical acts that were not illegal under international law at the time.
The U.S. also objected to any ranking of historical atrocities. Similar concerns were raised by Britain and EU representatives.
Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa rejected these criticisms, insisting that the resolution does not rank tragedies but rather calls for accountability, restitution, and reparative justice.
Suggested measures include the return of looted artifacts, structural reforms to address systemic racism, and compensation to affected communities.
Though non-binding, the resolution is a symbolic acknowledgment of historical injustices and signals a renewed push for restorative justice for Africa and people of African descent worldwide.
