Ghana is set to table a historic resolution at the United Nations General Assembly seeking to declare the Transatlantic Slave Trade as the gravest crime against humanity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced.
The initiative, led by President John Dramani Mahama, is scheduled for consideration and possible adoption on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, coinciding with the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
According to the ministry, Ghana is advancing the resolution in its role as African Union Champion on Reparations, in collaboration with the African Union and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), alongside people of African descent globally.
“The resolution would formally declare the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity by reason of the definitive break in world history, scale, duration, systemic nature, brutality and enduring consequences,” the statement noted.
If adopted, it would mark the first comprehensive United Nations resolution on slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the organisation’s 80-year history, according to the ministry.
The statement said the move would “preserve historical truth as a foundation for justice and reconciliation” and respond to growing calls for reparatory justice, accountability and healing.
Ahead of the tabling, a wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the African Burial Ground in New York on March 24, followed by a high-level event on reparatory justice at the United Nations.
The ministry expressed appreciation to a wide range of institutions and experts, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and various African Union bodies, for their contributions to drafting the resolution.
Ghana has urged all UN member states to support the initiative, describing it as a defining moment in advancing global justice and addressing the long-term consequences of slavery.
Following its consideration, the country is expected to continue pushing for reparatory justice as part of the African Union’s Decade of Action on Reparations and African Heritage (2026–2036).
