The United Nations General Assembly is set to vote on Wednesday on a landmark resolution that seeks to formally designate the transatlantic African slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity,” in what advocates describe as a significant step toward global acknowledgment, healing, and restorative justice.
The proposed resolution highlights the scale and enduring impact of the transatlantic slave trade, which forcibly displaced an estimated 12.5 million Africans over a span of roughly 400 years.
It frames the atrocity not only as a historical crime but also as a system whose legacy continues to shape modern inequalities.
Ghana’s President, John Mahama, a leading voice within the African Union on slavery reparations, was present at the United Nations headquarters in New York to advocate for the resolution, describing it as a “historic” and necessary acknowledgment of past injustices.
Speaking at the UN on Tuesday, Mahama said the resolution would allow the global community to “collectively bear witness” to the suffering endured by millions of Africans who were stripped of their identities, families, and futures during the transatlantic slave trade.
He also emphasized the importance of preserving historical truth, warning against efforts to suppress education on slavery and racial injustice.
Mahama described the initiative as a “safeguard against forgetting,” stressing that confronting history is essential to preventing its repetition.
The draft resolution goes beyond recognition, calling for meaningful steps toward restorative justice. It underscores the role of nations historically involved in the slave trade and urges them to engage in processes that address its enduring consequences.
Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said countries linked to the transatlantic slave trade should formally acknowledge their roles, offer apologies, and consider measures such as reparations and the return of looted cultural artifacts.
He pointed to the continued presence of structural racism and the broader impacts of what he described as centuries of systemic exploitation, noting that addressing these issues is central to achieving lasting justice.
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Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, the African Union’s Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Development, also supported the resolution, stating that clearly naming the historical atrocities is crucial to removing ambiguity and ensuring accountability.
According to her, recognizing these events as deliberate policies helps clarify how their effects continue to influence present-day inequalities.
The resolution further acknowledges that the legacy of slavery extends into modern society through persistent racial discrimination and what it describes as neo-colonial structures.
However, some member states have raised concerns about the language of the resolution, particularly the characterization of the slave trade as the “gravest” crime, warning that it could imply a hierarchy of suffering among historical atrocities.
In response, Ablakwa rejected that interpretation, stressing that the intent is not to compare pain, but to recognize the scale, duration, and systemic nature of the transatlantic slave trade.
“We are not ranking suffering,” he said, adding that the resolution seeks to highlight the unprecedented scale and lasting consequences of the crime.
The outcome of the vote is expected to carry significant symbolic weight, potentially shaping global conversations on historical accountability, reparations, and the continued fight against racial injustice.