The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has approved a landmark resolution that formally declares slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as one of the greatest injustices against humanity.
The resolution, led by Ghana, was described by President
John Mahama as necessary because the consequences of slavery, including racial
disparities, still persist.
The trans-Atlantic slave trade was the largest movement of
people in history.
Historians estimate that between 10 and 15 million Africans
— around the population size of countries like Sierra Leone, Israel, and Sweden
— were forcibly transported across the Atlantic between 1500 and 1900.
But experts say this figure grossly understates the actual
number of Africans enslaved, killed, or displaced as a result of the slave
trade.
In the resolution passed on Wednesday, Ghana urged UN member
states to consider apologising for the transatlantic slave trade and
contributing to an unspecified reparations fund.
The proposal was adopted with 123 votes in favour and three
against – the United States, Israel and Argentina.
Earlier, Mahama criticised the US for “slowly normalising”
the erasure of Black history.
The United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) member
states were among 52 countries which abstained from voting.
The resolution was strongly backed by the African Union (AU)
and the Caribbean community.
The adoption marks a diplomatic victory for Ghana and the AU
which has been pushing for the acknowledgement of slavery and colonialism as
crimes against humanity, seeking restorative justice, artefact repatriation,
and systemic financial reforms to address the enduring impact of these
injustices.
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