The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans “the gravest crime against humanity” and calling for reparations as “a concrete step towards remedying historical wrongs.”
The vote in the 193-member world body was 123 in favor, with 3 against and 52 abstentions. Argentina, “Israel”, and the United States were the only three to vote against the resolution. The United Kingdom and all 27 members of the European Union abstained.
The resolution 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.
U.S. objects to reparations
Deputy U.S. ambassador Dan Negrea said before the vote that while Washington opposes the past wrongdoing of the transatlantic slave trade and all other forms of slavery, it “does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred.”
The United States also strongly objected to the resolution’s attempt to “rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy,” Negrea said, arguing that such ranking “objectively diminishes the suffering of countless victims and survivors of other atrocities throughout history.”
European abstentions
Britain’s acting UN Ambassador James Kariuki, speaking on behalf of mainly Western nations including some that enslaved Africans, said the history of slavery and “its devastating consequences and long-lasting impacts” must never be forgotten.
Western nations are committed to tackling the root causes that persist today, he claimed, pointing to racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and intolerance.
Cyprus’ deputy UN ambassador, speaking on behalf of the European Union, echoed concerns about “the use of superlatives” that imply “a hierarchy among atrocity crimes.” She also cited the EU’s concern about the resolution’s “unbalanced interpretation of historical events” and legal references that are inaccurate or inconsistent with international law.
A call for reparative justice
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, a key architect of the resolution, said before the vote,
Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice. The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting. 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.
Mahama noted that the vote took place on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, honoring the memory of approximately 13 million African men, women, and children enslaved over several centuries.
The resolution calls on UN member nations to engage in talks “on reparatory justice, including a full and formal apology, measures of restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, guarantees of non-repetition and changes to laws, programs and services to address racism and systemic discrimination.”
While General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, they serve as an important reflection of world opinion. The vote underscores the isolation of the United States and “Israel” on an issue where the overwhelming majority of nations chose to affirm the historical wrongs of slavery and the need for reparative justice.
The decision by the U.S. and “Israel” to stand alone against the measure is consistent with their broader pattern of opposition to international consensus on human rights and historical accountability.