In a first-of-its-kind move, the UN General Assembly has labeled the enslavement of Africans in the transatlantic slave trade "the gravest crime against humanity," a symbolic step supporters hope will fuel a global push for reparations and historical redress. The Ghana-sponsored resolution, backed by the African Union and the Caribbean Community, passed 123-3, with the US, Israel, and Argentina opposed and 52 countries—including the UK and all EU members—abstaining, reports the BBC. The measure urges governments to consider formal apologies, contribute to a reparations fund, and return cultural artifacts taken during colonial rule.
While General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, Ghana President John Mahama told delegates the vote would "safeguard against forgetting" and address "enduring scars of slavery." Ghana's foreign minister stressed they are seeking justice and support for education, skills training, and development, not payouts to leaders. In explaining the US opposition, deputy US ambassador Dan Negrea said the US opposes the past wrongdoing of the transatlantic slave trade, but it "does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred," per the AP.
The US "also strongly objects to the resolution's attempt to rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy," Negrea added. The UK ambassador voiced a similar complaint. Advocates counter that slavery's legacy is visible in persistent racial inequality and underdevelopment worldwide.