Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has pledged that Ghana will sustain and lead the global conversation on putting into effect the landmark United Nations (UN) resolution on reparative justice, describing the resolution’s adoption as a significant beginning rather than a final destination.
Ablakwa made the commitment at a media briefing following the successful adoption of Resolution A/80/L.48 by the UN General Assembly on March 25, 2026. The resolution, spearheaded by Ghana and backed by 123 member states, formally declared the transatlantic slave trade and the racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.
The minister affirmed that Ghana, with President John Dramani Mahama serving as the African Union (AU) Champion on Reparations, will work with determination to establish the necessary mechanisms to support implementation of the global resolution.
“The government further reaffirms its commitment to work with member states and partners to sustain the momentum and advance the global conversation on historical justice, equity, and full recognition of the historical experiences of Africans and people of African descent,” Ablakwa said.
The minister also called on states that did not vote for the resolution to reconsider their position and join efforts to dismantle structures of discrimination and racism globally. Three countries, the United States, Israel and Argentina, voted against the resolution, while the United Kingdom and all 27 European Union member states abstained.
The resolution calls for formal apologies, restitution, compensation, the return of looted cultural artefacts, and policy changes to address present-day inequalities linked to the legacy of slavery. Ablakwa described the adoption as a pivotal moment and reaffirmed Ghana’s intent to pursue concrete outcomes under the AU’s Decade of Action on Reparations and African Heritage, which runs from 2026 to 2036.
