PC( Gulf News)
In a historic vote coinciding with the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution formally recognizing the trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the “gravest crime against humanity.” Spearheaded by Ghana and strongly supported by the African Union and CARICOM, the non-binding resolution (document A/80/L.48) passed with 123 votes in favour, 3 against (United States, Israel, and Argentina), and 52 abstentions (including all 27 European Union members, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan). Russia and China voted in favour, aligning with broad support from the Global South.
The resolution highlights the transatlantic slave trade’s unprecedented scale, duration, brutality, and enduring legacy – including the forced displacement of more than 12.5 million Africans over four centuries and its role in shaping racialized systems of labour, property, and capital that persist today.
The text urges UN member states to engage in “inclusive, good-faith dialogue” on reparatory justice. This may encompass formal apologies, restitution of cultural artifacts, financial compensation, rehabilitation, and guarantees of non-repetition. It also recognizes the enslavement as a violation of jus cogens (peremptory norms of international law) and requests the UN Secretary-General to report on implementation efforts. Ghanaian officials emphasized that the resolution focuses on moral awareness, historical truth, and healing rather than blame or immediate financial demands.
Western Opposition and Abstentions countries that opposed or abstained raised concerns about labeling one set of historical atrocities as the “gravest,” potential retroactive application of modern legal standards, and the risk of creating precedents for liability.
The United States voted against the measure. Deputy Ambassador Dan Negrea stated that while America condemns the historic wrongs of the slave trade, it “does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred.” Washington also objected to using past events as leverage for reallocating modern resources and expressed concerns over costs to the UN budget.
The European Union, speaking through Cyprus, abstained, arguing that the resolution failed to adequately address concerns raised during negotiations – particularly the use of the term “gravest,” which some viewed as legally inaccurate.
The adoption marks a significant milestone in global efforts for reparatory justice, building on the 2007 establishment of the annual remembrance day. Ghana led negotiations for over a year, positioning the resolution as a step toward honest acknowledgment rather than division. While the resolution carries strong political and moral weight, it imposes no immediate legal obligations on member states. Advocates hope it will encourage broader dialogue, education, and concrete actions to address the lasting impacts of the slave trade.