Ghana pushes UN Resolution to recognize Slave Trade as crime against humanity

Ghana is spearheading a fresh diplomatic push at the United Nations to have the transatlantic slave trade formally recognised as a crime against humanity, in what officials describe as a significant step toward historical justice and reparations.

According to the report by Africanews, the West African country is rallying global support for a draft resolution that seeks to acknowledge the scale, brutality, and long-term consequences of slavery.

Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Samuel Yao Kumah, said the initiative is not about comparing past atrocities but about recognising a system that profoundly reshaped the modern world and continues to drive global inequalities. He stressed that crimes such as genocide, apartheid, and colonial violence are already condemned under international law, noting that the proposed resolution focuses on acknowledgment rather than hierarchy.

The move is also intended to strengthen ongoing global conversations around reparations and accountability. Ghana argues that recognising the transatlantic slave trade at the highest international level would help lay the foundation for broader discussions on justice and redress.

Kumah further emphasised that backing the resolution should not be seen as assigning blame, but as a shared responsibility to confront history honestly and promote dignity, equality, and truth.

Historical estimates show that between 1501 and 1867, more than 13 million Africans were forcibly taken across the Atlantic, a legacy that continues to shape social and economic realities worldwide.

The proposal is part of a broader push by African nations and their global partners to secure formal recognition of slavery’s enduring impact, with the hope that it will advance long-standing calls for reparative justice.

TNAM
Edited By Egwu Patience Nnennaya.