A United Nations resolution recognizing the transatlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity” has been adopted, with 123 countries voting in favor, three opposed, including the United States and Israel, and 52 abstentions, including the United Kingdom and several European Union members. The resolution, proposed by Ghana, also calls for reparations, though it is not legally binding.
Ghana argued the resolution is necessary because the legacy of slavery, during which at least 12.5 million Africans were forcibly taken between the 15th and 19th centuries, continues to shape racial disparities today.
President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, a key architect of the resolution, described its adoption as “a route to healing and reparative justice,” adding: “The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting … Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of slavery.”
Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Ablakwa emphasized that the resolution calls for accountability and could lay the groundwork for a “reparative framework.”
He said: “History does not disappear when ignored, truth does not weaken when delayed, crime does not rot … and justice does not expire with time.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged member states to take “far bolder action” in addressing historical injustices. To date, the Netherlands is the only European country to have issued a formal apology for its role in slavery.
The resolution follows the African Union’s initiative last year to develop a “unified vision” among its 55 member states for reparations. It encourages dialogue on measures such as formal apologies, the return of stolen artifacts, financial compensation, and guarantees of non-repetition.
However, the call for reparations faces opposition. Some Western leaders argue that current states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical wrongs, and both the EU and the US expressed concern that the resolution could create a hierarchy among crimes against humanity, potentially treating some as more serious than others.
