Britain abstains from key UN vote to recognise slavery as ‘gravest crime against humanity’
The UN General Assembly officially recognized the trade in enslaved Africans as “the gravest crime against humanity” and also called for reparations to redress historical injustices.
The resolution adopted on Wednesday also calls for the “immediate and unhindered return” of cultural artifacts, including works of art, monuments and national archives, free of charge to their countries of origin.
The measure was accepted in the 193-member parliament with 123 votes in favour, 3 against and 52 abstentions. While Argentina, Israel and the USA opposed the decision, the UK and many European Union member countries chose to abstain.
In the United States, support for reparations gained momentum following the 2020 death of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.
But the topic was a difficult one, caught in the middle of broader conservative backlash over how race, history and inequality are handled in public institutions.
General Assembly decisions, unlike Security Council decisions, are not legally binding and are an important reflection of world public opinion.
“Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm the truth and follow the path to healing and restorative justice,” Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, one of the key architects of the resolution, said in his speech to parliament before the vote. he said.
“The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting,” he said. “When history calls, let it be recorded that we did the right thing in memory of the millions who suffered the indignities of slavery.”
Speaking mostly on behalf of Western countries, the UK’s Acting Ambassador to the UN, James Kariuki, said the history of slavery and its “devastating consequences and long-lasting impacts” should never be forgotten.
Western nations are committed to tackling the root causes that persist today, he said, pointing to racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia and intolerance. He also said the “scourge of modern slavery” – human trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation and forced crime – must also be addressed.
The resolution “unequivocally condemns the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the racialized chattel slavery of Africans, slavery, and the transatlantic slave trade as the most inhumane and enduring injustice against humanity.”
By approving the resolution, the General Assembly affirms the importance of addressing the historical wrongs of slavery “in a manner that promotes justice, human rights, dignity, and healing.”
The resolution calls on UN member states to engage in discussions “on restorative justice, including a full and formal apology, reparations measures, rehabilitation, satisfaction, guarantees of non-recurrence, and changes to laws, programs and services to address racism and systemic discrimination.”
It encourages voluntary contributions to promote education about the transatlantic slave trade and asks the African Union, the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States to cooperate with UN bodies and other countries “on restorative justice and reconciliation.”
