UN Declares Transatlantic Slave Trade a Crime Against Humanity, US, Israel, and Argentina Dissent
The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, declaring the transatlantic slave trade the “gravest crime against humanity.” The resolution, spearheaded by Ghana, received 123 votes in favor, with 52 abstentions. However, the United States, Israel, and Argentina cast dissenting votes, highlighting global divisions on issues of reparations and historical accountability.
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, speaking on behalf of the 54-member African Group, emphasized the need for “healing and reparative justice.” He stated, “Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice.”
The Legacy of Slavery
For over four centuries, millions of Africans were forcibly removed from their homes, subjected to brutal conditions during the Middle Passage, and exploited as enslaved labor in the Americas. The resolution acknowledges the enduring consequences of this system, including persistent anti-Black racism and discrimination. It specifically defines the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement as the “gravest crime against humanity” due to its scale, duration, systemic nature, and lasting impact on global structures of labor and capital.
Calls for Reparations
The resolution affirms the importance of addressing historical wrongs affecting Africans and people of the African diaspora through justice, human rights, dignity, and healing. It explicitly recognizes claims for reparations as a “concrete step towards remedy.”
Dissenting Votes and Concerns
The United States, Israel, and Argentina were the only nations to vote against the resolution. The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Dan Negrea, expressed regret that Washington “must once again remind this body that the United Nations exists to maintain international peace and security” and argued against creating new mandates. The U.S. Government also maintains that it “does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred.”
International Support and Calls to Action
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for confronting slavery’s lasting legacies of inequality and racism, urging nations to remove barriers preventing people of African descent from realizing their full potential. He also highlighted the significance of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent and the African Union’s Decade of Reparations.
Poet Laureate of Barbados, Esther Philips, powerfully stated, “There are spirits of the victims of slavery present in this room at this moment, and they are listening for one word only: justice.” She emphasized that true peace requires reparatory justice and urged nations to translate words into action.
Looking Ahead
The UN resolution represents a significant symbolic step towards acknowledging the profound harm caused by the transatlantic slave trade. However, the dissenting votes underscore the challenges that lie ahead in achieving global consensus on issues of reparations and addressing the enduring legacies of slavery. The international community now faces the task of translating this resolution into concrete actions that promote justice, equality, and healing for those affected by this historical tragedy.
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