Ghana is set to make history at the United Nations after announcing plans to table a landmark resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity.

In a press release issued on March 19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that President John Dramani Mahama will present the draft resolution to the UN General Assembly on March 25, 2026.

The move follows Mahama’s pledge during his address to the UN General Assembly last year, where he called for stronger global recognition of the enduring impact of slavery.

According to the ministry, Ghana is leading the initiative in its role as the African Union’s Champion on Reparations. The effort is being carried out in collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and other groups representing people of African descent.

The proposed resolution seeks to formally declare the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity. It cites the scale, duration and brutality of the trade, as well as its lasting consequences on global inequality.

“The resolution would formally declare the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity by reason of the definitive break in world history, scale, duration, systemic nature, brutality and enduring consequences,” the statement read.

If adopted, the measure would mark the first comprehensive UN resolution on slavery and the transatlantic slave trade in the organisation’s 80-year history.

Push for justice gains

Ghana’s Foreign Ministry said the move aims to preserve historical truth and lay a foundation for justice and reconciliation. It also responds to growing calls for reparatory justice and accountability.

“Its adoption would preserve historical truth as a foundation for justice and reconciliation and respond to the call for meaningful engagement on reparatory justice, accountability and healing,” the ministry stated.

The resolution will be considered on March 25, which is observed globally as the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Officials say the timing is deliberate and symbolic, marking what they describe as “a historic moment of a truth long known across the world”.

Ahead of the vote, Ghana will take part in two key events in New York. A wreath-laying ceremony will be held on March 24 at the African Burial Ground, followed by a high-level meeting on reparatory justice at the UN.

The ministry also urged all UN member states to support the resolution.

“Ghana urges all UN Member States to be counted on the right side of history and justice,” it said.

Following the vote, Ghana plans to continue pushing for reparations under the African Union’s Decade of Action on Reparations and African Heritage, which runs from 2026 to 2036.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and other senior officials are expected to speak on the initiative as momentum builds ahead of the General Assembly session.