CARICOM Plays Key Role in UN’s Landmark Slavery Declaration

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a historic resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the “gravest crime against humanity,” marking a significant milestone in global recognition of slavery’s enduring impact.

The resolution, titled “Declaration on the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and the Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity,” was led by Ghana and other African states, with support from Caribbean nations and institutions, including the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC).

CARICOM and its advisory members played a key supporting role in shaping the resolution after being invited by Ghana and the African Union to participate in the technical and advisory process. The resolution’s text was informed by leading scholars from Africa and the Caribbean, including members of the CRC, grounding it in legal, historical and intellectual scholarship.

The CRC worked closely with the Ghanaian delegation under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama. Among the key contributors were CRC Chair Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chair Verene Shepherd, June Soomer and Gaynel Curry, all of whom also serve on the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

Negotiations on the resolution took place during six informal consultations between March 5 and 16, 2026, where divisions emerged among member states, particularly over the inclusion of the term “gravest.” CRC associate members Davika Bissessar Shaw and James Finies attended the sessions as observers.

Despite sustained resistance—mainly from European Union member states and former colonial powers—the General Assembly adopted the resolution on March 25, 2026, with 123 votes in favour, three against and 52 abstentions.

Observers noted that the pattern of abstentions highlights continued reluctance among some states, particularly within the European Union, to fully acknowledge the legal and moral weight of transatlantic slavery, raising concerns about the credibility of prior apologies.

The resolution also explicitly recognises the CARICOM 10-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice as a legitimate international framework, reinforcing the leadership role of the CRC in advancing global reparatory justice and shaping multilateral responses to the legacy of slavery and colonialism.

Co-sponsors included CARICOM member states such as Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis and The Bahamas, alongside Ghana and other African nations.

As echoed by Franklin D. Roosevelt and invoked by President Mahama, “Neutrality between right and wrong is to serve wrong.”

The adoption of the resolution affirms the long-standing position that transatlantic chattel enslavement constitutes the gravest crime against humanity. The CARICOM Reparations Commission said it remains committed to advancing this recognition into concrete international action, including comprehensive reparatory justice.