UN Designates Transatlantic Slave Trade as “Gravest Crime Against Humanity”
The United Nations General Assembly has formally recognized the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity.” This landmark resolution, adopted with overwhelming support, aims to foster healing and acknowledge the profound and lasting impact of this historical atrocity. While the resolution passed with 123 votes in favour, it faced opposition from the United States, Israel, and Argentina, and abstentions from several European nations, including France, Germany, and Britain.
The adoption of the resolution was met with applause, signaling a significant moment for advocates of reparations and restorative justice for the descendants of enslaved Africans. Ghana’s President John Mahama, a prominent voice for reparations within the African Union, was present at the UN headquarters in New York to champion the vote. “Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice,” President Mahama stated. “The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting.”
Although the resolution is non-binding, it extends beyond mere acknowledgment. It calls upon nations involved in the slave trade to actively engage in processes of restorative justice. Furthermore, it underscores the enduring legacy of slavery, highlighting “the persistence of racial discrimination and neo-colonialism” in contemporary society.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the severity of the crime, stating, “The transatlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity that struck at the core of personhood, broke up families, and devastated communities.” He further elaborated on the ideological underpinnings of slavery, noting, “To justify the unjustifiable, slavery’s proponents and beneficiaries constructed a racist ideology — turning prejudice into a pseudoscience.”
International Reactions and Reservations
The United States, in its opposition, articulated concerns regarding the resolution’s framing and implications. US Ambassador Dan Negrea described the text as “highly problematic.” He further stated, “The US also does not recognise a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred.” The US also expressed strong objections to any attempt to create a hierarchy of crimes against humanity.
Similar sentiments were echoed by representatives from Britain and other European Union countries, who, while acknowledging the historical wrongs of slavery, raised concerns about the resolution’s wording. French representative Sylvain Fournel commented, “The resolution risks pitting historical tragedies against each other that should not be compared, except at the expense of the memory of the victims.”
The Importance of Naming and Restorative Justice
For officials within the African Union, the precise language of the resolution is crucial to its effectiveness. Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, the AU’s Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Development, stressed the importance of clearly naming these events to eliminate any lingering ambiguity about their nature. “It is to say that what was done to Africans was not a tragic accident of history, but the result of deliberate policies whose legacies structure today’s inequalities,” she explained. “Justice begins with calling things by their proper names.”
Beyond formal recognition, the resolution encourages countries historically involved in the transatlantic slave trade to embark on restorative justice initiatives. Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has been vocal about what such initiatives could entail. “The perpetrators of the transatlantic slave trade are known – the Europeans, the United States of America,” he informed reporters. “We expect all of them to formally apologise to Africa and to all people of African descent.”
Minister Ablakwa outlined potential avenues for restorative justice, including:
- Formal Apologies: Acknowledgment and formal apologies from nations historically involved in the slave trade to Africa and people of African descent.
- Return of Looted Artefacts: The repatriation of cultural artifacts that were taken during the era of slavery and its aftermath.
- Dismantling Structural Racism: Continued and intensified efforts to address and dismantle systemic racism that persists today.
- Financial Compensation: The potential for financial reparations to affected communities, acknowledging the economic devastation caused by centuries of enslavement.
The adoption of this resolution represents a significant step in the global dialogue surrounding the legacy of slavery, aiming to confront historical injustices and pave the way for a more equitable future.
