politics
March 20, 2026
African lawyers urge global backing for UN resolution on slave trade
The Pan African Lawyers Union has called for global backing for Ghana’s UN resolution recognizing the slave trade as “gravest crime”
TL;DR
- African lawyers are advocating for global support for a UN resolution proposed by Ghana to declare the transatlantic slave trade the "gravest crime against humanity."
- The resolution is backed by 40 African Union (AU) member states and is expected to be debated at the UN General Assembly on March 25.
- The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) supports the proposal, emphasizing the scale, duration, and systemic impact of racialized chattel enslavement.
- PALU warns that abstaining or voting against the resolution would place nations on the "wrong side of history" and perpetuate historical distortions.
- The transatlantic slave trade, from the 16th to 19th centuries, forcibly moved an estimated 25-30 million Africans.
- African and Caribbean states are coordinating calls for reparations, with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama leading the AU's efforts.
- Some European countries oppose reparations, while others, like the Netherlands, have issued apologies or expressed regret.
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