John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana, said the world had to move from ‘recognition to implementation’ when it came to slavery reparations, at a landmark conference in Accra on Thursday.
“We must move from recognition to building the architecture for reparatory justice to ensure the momentum generated by Resolution A-RES-80-250 is sustained and translated into practical outcomes. I am pleased to announce the establishment of three global panels which will serve as the pillars of the next phase of this international effort,” he said.
The conference takes place on June 17-19 in Accra, and is led by Mahama. It follows the historic UN vote in March. Spearheaded by Ghana and backed by the African Union, the vote declared the transatlantic slave trade ‘gravest crime against humanity’.
But the UN session also split the UN into the Global South and their allies, and the West in a very stark way – particularly over reparations and what they would look like.
123 countries backed it including all African nations present, and BRICS allies like Russia, China, Brazil, India and many more. Three countries – the US, Israel and Argentina – voted against, and 52 abstained. Notable abstentions included the UK, Ukraine and all 27 European Union nations, who cited varying concerns over the wording and the extent of any ‘reparations’.
Source: Viory
