UN Vote Declares Transatlantic Slave Trade Among Gravest Crimes Against Humanity

Rabat – The UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution that classifies the transatlantic slave trade and the enslavement of Africans among the gravest crimes against humanity. 

The vote passed with 123 countries in favor, while the US, Israel, and Argentina opposed it. Fifty-two countries, including EU member states and the UK, abstained.

Ghana led the initiative, with President John Mahama present in New York to support what he described as a historic step. 

He described the resolution as part of a broader effort to confront a painful past and move toward justice for descendants of those affected, and warned against attempts to erase or downplay this history.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the legacy of slavery still shapes inequalities today. He argued that racist ideologies once served to justify the trade and continue to leave deep marks on societies and called for a renewed commitment to truth and accountability.

The resolution urges states to take concrete steps, including formal apologies, compensation for descendants, policies to fight racism, and the return of looted cultural heritage. 

Although it carries no legal force, it adds weight to growing demands for reparatory justice.

Opposition to the text showed clear divisions. The US rejected the idea of legal reparations for acts that were not illegal under international law at the time. 

European countries shared similar concerns, warning that such language could create a hierarchy among historical tragedies.

Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa dismissed that argument. He said the goal is not to compare suffering but to acknowledge the unique scale and lasting impact of a system that lasted more than three centuries.

“We do not rank pain,” he said, while urging countries involved in the slave trade to move beyond symbolic gestures and issue formal apologies.

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