President John Dramani Mahama hailed the adoption of a motion on slavery reparations as a significant milestone while emphasising that it marks only the beginning of a broader quest for justice.
The motion, which garnered 123 votes in favour, 3 against, and 52 abstentions, seeks to recognise the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade as the most egregious crime ever perpetrated against humanity and calls for reparatory justice.
Following the General Assembly session, President Mahama stressed that the outcome, although historic, must yield sustained global action.
He admonished stakeholders not to rest on their laurels, emphasising the need to build momentum toward tangible outcomes, including reparations, formal apologies, and comprehensive justice measures.
“This is not the end. This is the beginning. What we’ve achieved today creates a platform for the struggle for reparative justice,” he stated.
“We must take this success and begin to work so that those who denied our ancestors their humanity, those who denied our ancestors their dignity, can accept the truth that this is what happened,” he said.
Additionally, the Ghanaian leader resisted attempts to downplay or rewrite the history of slavery.
According to the decision by the UN to adopt the motion, it proves its severity.
“Today we’ve accepted that this was a grave crime against humanity — the gravest indeed,” he added.
“This victory is not for Ghana. We did it for the whole of Africa and all people of African descent. If we keep this coalition, we will take the next steps together,” he said.
He added that today’s victory is to ensure that we do not forget and will never forget. As long as this resolution has been passed, our ancestors will never, ever be forgotten.”
The motion, led by Ghana, marks the culmination of months of intense diplomatic consultations involving continental bodies, legal experts, and scholars.
The adopted resolution—titled the “Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity”—represents a monumental shift in the international legal and moral recognition of the four-century-long slave trade.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana