The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a new resolution calling for action to address the enduring legacy of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, with a strong emphasis on reparatory justice for Africans and people of African descent. Spearheaded by Ghana on behalf of the 54-member African Group, the resolution was approved with 123 votes in favour, while Argentina, Israel, and the United States voted against, and 52 countries abstained. The vote marked a significant diplomatic moment in ongoing global discussions about historical accountability, racial justice, and reparations for the lasting harms caused by slavery.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama described the resolution as a collective act of solidarity aimed at affirming truth and pursuing healing through reparative justice. He framed the measure as part of a broader effort to confront the historical trauma of slavery and its continuing consequences. For many African nations and members of the African diaspora, the resolution represents not only symbolic recognition of past atrocities but also a call for meaningful international action to address the structural inequalities that continue to stem from centuries of exploitation.
The resolution places strong historical emphasis on the transatlantic slave trade, during which millions of Africans were forcibly taken from their homes, chained, and transported across the Atlantic over a period of more than four centuries. It recalls how enslaved Africans were stripped of their freedom, identity, and humanity, and forced into brutal labour on plantations under violent and dehumanising conditions. The text characterises the trafficking and enslavement of Africans as one of the gravest crimes against humanity because of its scale, brutality, systemic nature, and the enduring social, economic, and racial consequences that continue to shape societies around the world.
Importantly, the resolution stresses that addressing these historical wrongs must be done in ways that promote justice, human rights, dignity, and healing. It explicitly recognizes that claims for reparations are a concrete step toward remedying the damage caused by slavery and its aftermath. This framing reflects a growing international movement that sees reparatory justice not simply as financial compensation, but as a broader process of acknowledgement, institutional reform, and redress for generations of harm that have contributed to persistent anti-Black racism, discrimination, and inequality.
Not all member states supported the resolution. The United States, which voted against it, strongly criticized the text before the vote. US representatives argued that the resolution was problematic and contended that the United Nations should focus primarily on its core mandates such as international peace and security. Washington also maintained its position that it does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not considered illegal under international law at the time they occurred. This opposition highlights the legal and political divisions that continue to shape international debates over reparations, even as support for such measures grows among many countries.
The resolution was adopted as the General Assembly marked the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, lending added emotional and moral weight to the proceedings. UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock described slavery and the slave trade as among the gravest violations of human rights in human history, noting that they were fundamentally opposed to the principles later enshrined in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She also pointed out that the countries from which enslaved Africans were taken suffered enormous losses themselves, having been deprived of entire generations of people whose contributions could have shaped their nations’ development and prosperity.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres used the occasion to call for confronting slavery’s lasting legacies, particularly the systemic racism and inequalities that continue to affect people of African descent. He urged the international community to remove the barriers that still prevent many from fully exercising their rights and reaching their potential. In his remarks, he linked the issue of reparatory justice to broader goals such as equal access to education, healthcare, employment, housing, and environmental safety, while also calling for stronger global commitments to dismantle systemic discrimination and promote inclusive development.
Guterres further emphasized that real progress will require much bolder action from more states, including respect for African countries’ ownership of their natural resources and stronger representation in global institutions such as the international financial system and the UN Security Council. His comments underscored that the legacy of slavery is not confined to the past but remains connected to contemporary issues of economic inequality, political power, and global governance. The Secretary-General also highlighted the significance of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent and the African Union’s Decade of Reparations as important frameworks for turning recognition into action.
The debate also carried a deeply human and moral dimension. Esther Philips, the first Poet Laureate of Barbados, addressed delegates with reflections on memory, ancestry, and justice, reminding them that the victims of slavery still demand more than remembrance—they demand action. Her remarks reinforced a central message of the session: that there can be no true peace without justice, and no justice without reparatory justice. Taken together, the resolution and the statements surrounding it signal a growing willingness within the international community to formally acknowledge slavery’s enduring harms and to push for more concrete steps toward healing, accountability, and structural redress.
