Overview
- The General Assembly adopted a Ghana‑introduced resolution on March 25 that labels the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity.
- The measure passed 123–3 with 52 abstentions, with the United States, Israel, and Argentina voting no, and the United Kingdom and all European Union members abstaining.
- The text urges reparatory steps that include formal apologies, the return of looted cultural property, and consideration of compensation to address harms linked to slavery and its legacies.
- The resolution is not legally binding, yet supporters say it can drive museum returns, updates to public education, and structured multilateral talks on reparatory justice.
- Ghana is inviting inclusive dialogue on repair, while U.S. and U.K. envoys objected to resource claims and ranking of atrocities, and right-leaning commentary questioned West African responsibility for the historical trade.