The United Nations General Assembly has officially designated the transatlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity,” in a landmark resolution that has sparked both global support and diplomatic divisions.
The resolution, adopted on Wednesday at the UN headquarters in New York, received overwhelming backing with 123 votes in favour, while three countries United States, Israel, and Argentina voted against, and 52 others abstained, including the United Kingdom and several European Union member states.
The move has been widely welcomed by advocates as a significant step toward historical acknowledgment, healing, and potential reparations for Africa and people of African descent.
Speaking at the session, Ghana’s President, John Mahama, described the resolution as a crucial moment in the global pursuit of justice.
“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,” he said.
Although the resolution is non binding, it goes beyond symbolic recognition by urging countries historically involved in the slave trade to engage in restorative justice efforts. It also draws attention to the enduring legacy of slavery, including systemic racism, racial discrimination, and neo-colonial structures that persist in modern societies.
UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the transatlantic slave trade as a brutal system that dehumanised millions.
“The transatlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity that struck at the core of personhood, broke up families, and devastated communities,” he said.
“To justify the unjustifiable, slavery’s proponents constructed a racist ideology—turning prejudice into pseudoscience.”
However, the resolution has faced criticism from some Western nations, particularly over its implications and language.
The United States described the document as “highly problematic,” with its representative arguing that international law at the time did not recognise slavery as illegal, and therefore does not establish a legal basis for reparations.
“We do not recognise a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time,” the US delegation stated, also objecting to what it termed an attempt to create a “hierarchy” among crimes against humanity.
Similar concerns were echoed by European countries, including France and the United Kingdom, which abstained from the vote while acknowledging the historical injustice of slavery. French officials warned that the resolution could risk comparing human tragedies in ways that diminish collective memory.
But African leaders have pushed back strongly against such arguments.
Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, dismissed claims that the resolution seeks to rank suffering. Instead, he called for accountability from nations that played central roles in the slave trade.
“The perpetrators of the transatlantic slave trade are known. We expect formal apologies to Africa and to people of African descent,” he said.
Ablakwa also outlined possible pathways to justice, including the return of looted cultural artifacts, institutional reforms to address systemic racism, and compensation for affected communities.
The resolution marks one of the strongest international statements yet on the transatlantic slave trade, reinforcing growing calls for reparative justice and historical accountability.
While divisions remain among global powers, the vote signals a shifting international consensus one that increasingly recognises the lasting impact of one of history’s darkest chapters.
