Ghana has issued a sharp diplomatic rebuke to the United States following Washington’s decision to vote against a landmark United Nations resolution recognising the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade as the “gravest crime against humanity”.
The resolution, which was spearheaded by Ghana and presented to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, passed with a resounding 123 votes in favour.
However, the United States, alongside Argentina and Israel, formed a small bloc of opposition, while 52 nations, including several European powers, chose to abstain.
Speaking on the BBC’s Focus on Africa on Friday, 27th March 2026, Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, described the American position as a setback for global reconciliation and a refusal to acknowledge historical accountability.
“The USA voting against it is most disappointing because they know their role in this; they took part in the horrendous atrocities that happened. We will leave it to their conscience. This was an opportunity for reckoning — to show that they regret it, they are now contrite, willing to apologise, and ready to work with us on the journey towards reparatory justice,” Mr Ablakwa stated.
The Trump administration defended its “no” vote by labelling the resolution “highly problematic”. While US representatives acknowledged the inherent injustice of slavery, they expressed significant reservations regarding the “intended beneficiaries” and the legal framework for financial reparations.
This stance marks a clear departure from the growing international consensus. The resolution does not merely seek symbolic recognition; it calls for a “structured dialogue” and “concrete steps” to dismantle the enduring socio-economic and cultural effects of the slave trade on African nations and the global diaspora.
Despite the friction, Mr Ablakwa insisted that the door remains open for the United States to join the 123-nation coalition. He argued that the passage of the resolution provides a new platform for the US to address the systemic racism that critics say is a direct legacy of the plantation era.
“Ghana’s message to the Trump administration is that you missed a golden opportunity, but it is not too late. The resolution has been passed. You now have another chance to join this broad international coalition to establish systems aimed at dismantling the pillars of discrimination and racism,” Mr Ablakwa added.
The voting pattern at the UN highlights a widening gap between the Global South and certain Western powers:
- Support (123): Dominated by African, Caribbean, and Latin American states, alongside several Asian and Eastern European nations.
- Opposition (3): USA, Israel, and Argentina.
- Abstentions (52): Largely comprised of Western European nations, many of whom are grappling with their own colonial legacies and the legal implications of the term “reparations”.
As the African Union’s reparations committee, currently chaired by Ghana, moves to implement the resolution’s mandates, the spotlight remains on the US.
For the Ghanaian government, the goal is no longer just historical acknowledgement but the construction of a global framework for reparatory justice that can finally address the “enduring consequences” of 400 years of human trafficking.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com
