Ghana to present UN resolution on slave trade as crime against humanity
Ghana is preparing to introduce a significant United Nations resolution that would officially declare the transatlantic slave trade and the racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. The resolution is scheduled for consideration and adoption by the UN General Assembly on March 25, 2026, which is globally recognized as the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. According to Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this move aligns with a pledge made by President John Mahama during his address at the UN General Assembly last year. The initiative aims to address historical injustices and promote reparatory justice on a global scale.
What we know
- Ghana will table a United Nations resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity, consistent with President John Mahama’s previous pledge.
- The resolution is set for consideration and adoption by the UN General Assembly on March 25, 2026.
- Activities before the tabling include a wreath-laying ceremony at the African Burial Ground in New York and a high-level event on reparatory justice at the UN headquarters, both on March 24, 2026.
- If adopted, this would be the first comprehensive UN resolution on slavery and the transatlantic slave trade in the organisation’s 80-year history.
- Ghana will continue to pursue reparatory justice within the African Union’s Decade of Action on Reparations and African Heritage (2026–2036), urging global support for the resolution.
