The worst crime against humanity: the African slave trade

Translated by Maria Maddalena Zizzo

On March 25th 2026 the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution that recognises the African slave trade as the “worst crime against humanity”.

The resolution was proposed by Ghana and adopted with 123 votes in favour and 3 against (the United States, Israel and Argentina). 52 countries, including the United Kingdom and the member states of the European Union, abstained.

Besides recognising the African slave trade as the most atrocious crime committed against humanity, the resolution calls for public apologies, reparations for the descendants of the victims, policies to fight and prevent racism, and the restitution of looted cultural and spiritual heritage.

With this resolution, Ghana sought to demand justice and give back dignity to 12-15 million of people who, between 1500 and 1800, were forcibly taken away from their homeland to work as slaves in the Americas.

Furthermore, the resolution, supported by the African Union and the Caribbean Community, claims that the consequences of slavery still manifest today in the form of racial discriminations and neocolonial dynamics.

The resolution is not binding, as it was approved by the General Assembly rather than the Security Council. Nevertheless, it carries a significant symbolic weight, forcing Western countries to face responsibilities they have often avoided.

The United Kingdom, a historically imperialist country, has long refused to pay reparations, denying the responsibility of its current institutions for past mistakes. The UK representative to the United Nations, James Kariuki, while acknowledging the sufferings of millions of people caused by the slave trade and its consequences, defined the resolution problematic in terms of international law and pointed out that no atrocity should be considered more or less serious than others.

The USA representative to the United Nations expressed similar concerns, stating that the United States does not recognise the right to reparations for crimes that, under the international law in force at the time they were committed, were not defined as such.

The United Kingdom and the member states of the European Union shared a similar position to that of the USA, even though they decided to abstain rather than vote against, in the name of the “monstrosity” of slavery.

Movements calling for reparations in response to centuries of slavery and colonialism have gained particular momentum in recent years among the member states of the African Union. In 2025, in particular, reparative justice was chosen as the African Union’s official theme.

A key figure within the African Union, which has taken a leading role in the political campaign for reparations, has been John Mahama, President of Ghana, a country that was one of the main departure points for the slave trade to the Americas. Mahama, during his speech at the UN General Assembly, recalled that “the adoption of this resolution will also help to prevent oblivion”. In particular, on March 24th, Mahama accused the USA president Donald Trump of pursuing “policies aimed at erasing history”. In fact, since the beginning of his second term, Trump has been criticising historical and cultural institutions which, in his view, have promoted an anti-American ideology. Mahama's concern is that these policies might serve as a model for other governments and institutions.

The adoption of the resolution has therefore highlighted how the West’s colonial history is calling on the responsible countries to be held accountable for their actions in relation to a tragic past. Although the West is reluctant to do so, on March 25th the reparations movement has achieved an important victory.

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