ACHPR Press Statement on the Adoption of the United Nations Resolution Recognizing Slavery as a Crime Against Humanity Through the Leadership of the Republic of Ghana
26 March 2026 | Banjul, The Gambia
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission/ACHPR) warmly welcomes the adoption, on 25 March 2026, by the United Nations General Assembly, of the landmark resolution recognizing the transatlantic slave trade and slavery as the gravest crime against humanity, and calling for reparatory justice.
This historic resolution, adopted with the support of a significant majority of Member States, represents a major step forward in the global recognition of the profound and enduring injustices arising from slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. It affirms that these atrocities, which affected millions of Africans and people of African descent, continue to shape contemporary patterns of inequality, discrimination, and underdevelopment.
The Commission notes that the resolution carries considerable moral, political, and normative weight, and calls on the international community to engage in meaningful dialogue on reparations, including measures such as formal apologies, restitution, and guarantees of non-repetition.
The Commission commends the Republic of Ghana, under the distinguished leadership of His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, in his capacity as the African Union Champion for Reparations, for initiating and leading the process that culminated in the adoption of this resolution. The Commission recognizes Ghana’s steadfast commitment to advancing historical justice, including its leadership in tabling this resolution at the United Nations following extensive consultations and sustained diplomatic engagement.
The Commission underscores that this development is consistent with, and gives renewed impetus to, continental efforts, including the Abuja Proclamation on Reparations For African Enslavement, Colonization And Neo-Colonization (1993), the Accra Proclamation on Reparations (2023) and the African Union’s broader reparations agenda (AU Theme of the Year 2025 and AU Decade for Reparations 2026 - 2036), ACHPR Resolution on Africa’s Reparations Agenda and the Human Rights of Africans In the Diaspora and People of African Descent Worldwide - ACHPR/Res.543 (LXXIII) 2022, as well as ACHPR Resolution in Preparation for the AU Theme of the Year 2025 “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations” - ACHPR/Res.616 (LXXXI) 2024 - which affirm reparations as a human rights imperative for Africans and people of African descent worldwide.
The Commission reiterates that slavery, the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, and their legacies constitute gross violations of human and peoples’ rights, the effects of which persist across generations. In this regard, the Commission calls upon all States to:
• Acknowledge the enduring impact of these historical injustices;
• Support ongoing international and regional efforts toward reparatory justice;
• Strengthen measures to combat systemic racism, racial discrimination, and related intolerance; and
• Promote education, remembrance, and preservation of historical truth as essential components of non-repetition.
The Commission further emphasizes the importance of ensuring that this global recognition translates into concrete actions, including the development of appropriate legal, institutional, and policy frameworks to address historical injustices and their contemporary manifestations.
The Commission reaffirms its commitment to advancing Africa’s reparations agenda within the framework of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and to working collaboratively with other African Union organs, United Nations mechanisms, Member States, and civil society towards achieving justice, dignity, and redress for Africans and people of African descent worldwide.
Hon. Commissioner Dr. Idrissa Sow
Chairperson
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)
