Ghana has welcomed a report by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) calling for reparatory justice for the trafficking and enslavement of Africans.
In a statement on Tuesday, September 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the report marked an important step towards holding perpetrators of the transatlantic slave trade and racialised chattel slavery accountable.
The Ministry said the report affirms that states have obligations under the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to provide reparatory justice for historical racial crimes.
It also said the argument that slavery was lawful at the time could no longer be used to avoid responsibility.
According to the Ministry, the report strengthens the legal basis for UN Resolution A/RES/80/250, which was spearheaded by Ghana and recognised the transatlantic enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.
The Ministry said the development represents a shift from simply recognising historical injustice to acknowledging a duty to provide remedies, including apologies, restitution, compensation and guarantees of non-repetition.
The statement comes as President John Dramani Mahama, the African Union Champion for Reparations, continues efforts to advance the reparations agenda internationally.
Ghana reaffirmed its commitment to working with the African Union, CARICOM and people of African descent across the diaspora to advance the campaign for reparatory justice.
