President John Dramani Mahama is set to present a landmark resolution before the United Nations General Assembly in March 2026, seeking global recognition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade as the gravest crime against humanity.
The President announced this during his report to the 39th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), where he serves as the AU Champion for Advancing the Cause of Justice and the Payment of Reparations.
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According to him, the AU Assembly has adopted the draft resolution, paving the way for its formal submission to the United Nations as part of Africa’s growing campaign for reparatory justice.
“All peoples of African descent have been waiting for this day. The truth cannot be buried. The legal foundations are sound; the moral imperative is undeniable,” President Mahama declared.
The resolution was first announced during the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2025 and represents the culmination of sustained diplomatic engagement to elevate Africa’s reparations agenda onto the global stage.
President Mahama indicated that significant progress has been made in building continental structures to pursue justice for the legacies of transatlantic enslavement, colonialism, and apartheid.
These include: The AU Coordination Team on Reparations, the AU Committee of Experts on Reparations, and Reference Group of Legal Experts.
He described these developments as a historic shift in Africa’s collective pursuit of justice.
“This marked a turning point in the life of our Union, not as a symbolic act, but as a strategic and international commitment,” he noted, referencing the AU’s declaration of 2025 as the Year of Justice for Africans through Reparations.
President Mahama urged AU member states to establish national reparations commissions and formally engage countries historically linked to slavery and colonial exploitation. He also called for support for a proposed Decade of Reparations to sustain momentum beyond commemorative observances.
“Reparatory justice will not be handed to us. Like political independence, it must be asserted, pursued and secured through determination and unity,” he said.
Throughout 2025, the AU collaborated with UNESCO and the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent to ensure Africa’s position influences global discussions on cultural restitution, historical accountability, and emerging issues such as artificial intelligence and heritage preservation.
Major international engagements—from Accra to Madrid and culminating in the 9th Pan-African Congress in Lomé—have, according to Mahama, reframed reparations as forward-looking tools for justice, development, and dignity rather than merely retrospective claims.
The March presentation to the UN General Assembly is expected to mark a decisive milestone in Africa’s coordinated push for recognition and redress of historical injustices against people of African descent worldwide.
President Mahama called on contemporary African leadership to rise to the moment.
“Let us be remembered not for hesitation, but for courage in advancing justice, restoring dignity, securing restitution and shaping a future grounded in truth.”
