Ghana’s Mahama leads landmark vote as world body demands reparations in watershed moment for Africa and the diaspora
The United Nations General Assembly has passed a landmark resolution declaring the trafficking and chattel enslavement of Africans the gravest crime against humanity — in a watershed moment for Africa, the Caribbean, and the global diaspora that has been centuries in the making.
The resolution, passed on Wednesday, March 25 — the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade — calls for reparations as a concrete step towards remedying historical wrongs, and urges member states to engage in talks on reparatory justice, including formal apologies, restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, and changes to laws and programmes to address racism and systemic discrimination.
It also urges the prompt and unhindered restitution of cultural items — including artworks, monuments, museum pieces, documents, and national archives — to their countries of origin without charge.
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, serving as the African Union Champion on Reparations, was the architect and driving force behind the historic resolution. Addressing the General Assembly, President Mahama challenged the very language used to describe the victims of the trade, insisting that there was no such thing as a “slave” — that the 18 million men, women, and children stolen from the African continent were human beings who were trafficked and then systematically enslaved.
President Mahama told the Assembly that the adoption of the resolution served as a safeguard against forgetting, declaring: “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.”
Beyond the moral argument, the President highlighted the economic extraction that fuelled the development of many Western nations at the expense of African lives and resources, urging UN member states to transition from rhetoric to action by establishing national reparations commissions and engaging in formal dialogue with historical perpetrator states.
“Reparatory justice will not be handed to us,” he reminded the Assembly, calling for the same courage that fuelled the struggle for political independence to now be applied to the quest for restitution.
Ghana led the initiative in its role as African Union Champion on Reparations, in collaboration with CARICOM and people of African descent globally. If adopted, the resolution would mark the first comprehensive United Nations resolution on slavery and the transatlantic slave trade in the organisation’s 80-year history.
Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was unequivocal in stating what the resolution demands. Ablakwa told the BBC: “We are demanding compensation — and let us be clear, African leaders are not asking for money for themselves. We want justice for the victims and causes to be supported, educational and endowment funds, skills training funds.” He added that Ghana was not ranking its pain above anyone else’s, but simply documenting a historical fact.
The resolution also calls for the return of cultural artefacts stolen during the colonial era. “We want a return of all those looted artefacts, which represent our heritage, our culture and our spiritual significance,” Ablakwa said.
The resolution was submitted by Ghana on behalf of the African Group and had undergone seven rounds of informal consultations and extensive engagement with regional and political groupings before coming to a vote.
The United Kingdom’s acting UN Ambassador, James Kariuki, acknowledged that the history of slavery and its devastating consequences must never be forgotten, and said Western nations were committed to tackling the root causes that persist today, including racial discrimination and intolerance.
Linking the resolution to broader structural reform, President Mahama reiterated his demand for a fundamental reset of the United Nations to reflect the realities of the 21st century, arguing that true justice also includes permanent African representation on the Security Council and a reform of the global financial architecture, which he described as “rigged against Africa.”
Following the adoption, Ghana is expected to continue championing multilateral reparations efforts within the framework of the African Union’s Decade of Action on Reparations and African Heritage, covering 2026 to 2036.
President Mahama concluded his address with a declaration: “The world is watching, and the era of reparatory justice has officially begun.”
The resolution, spearheaded by Ghana, passed with 123 votes in favour, 3 against and 52 abstentions.
