President Mahama to table UN resolution declaring transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity
President John Dramani Mahama is set to table a landmark United Nations (UN) resolution seeking to declare the Transatlantic Slave Trade as the gravest crime against humanity on March 25, 2026.
The move fulfills a commitment made by President Mahama during his address to the UN General Assembly last year.
Ghana, acting in its role as the African Union (AU) Champion on Reparations, is spearheading the initiative in collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and representatives of people of African descent globally. The draft resolution is scheduled for consideration and possible adoption by the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, March 25.
The proposed resolution aims to formally recognise the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the system of racialised chattel slavery as the gravest crime against humanity. It cites the unprecedented scale, duration, systemic character, brutality, and enduring global consequences of the Transatlantic Slave Trade as grounds for this designation.
If adopted, it would represent the first comprehensive UN resolution addressing slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the organisation’s 80-year history.
The resolution is expected to reinforce historical truth as a foundation for justice and reconciliation, while advancing calls for reparatory justice, accountability, and healing.
Its consideration coincides with the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Analysts say the initiative marks a significant step toward acknowledging historical injustices and confronting their long-term effects on global inequalities, development disparities, and structural imbalances.
Following a potential adoption, Ghana is expected to intensify multilateral efforts toward reparatory justice under the African Union’s Decade of Action on Reparations and African Heritage (2026–2036).
Ahead of the UN session, a wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the African Burial Ground in New York on March 24 at 8:00 a.m., followed by a high-level event on reparatory justice at 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room 3 at the UN headquarters.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed appreciation to key partners, including the African Union Commission, UNESCO, CARICOM, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as experts, diplomats, academics, and activists who contributed to the development of the resolution.
Ghana has called on all UN member states to support the initiative, urging them to “stand on the right side of history and justice.”
Officials available for interviews include the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; Deputy Minister James Gyakye Quayson; Ambassador Francis Danti Kotia; Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman; and Special Envoy for Reparations, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah.
