UN urges UK to pay trillions in reparations over slave trade as Britain abstains from vote | World | News
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Wednesday that declared the trafficking of enslaved Africans the “gravest crime against humanity”. The non-legally binding resolution also called on the UK and other countries which once held colonies to pay reparations as “a concrete step towards remedying historical wrongs”.
Cultural items, such as artworks, monuments, and museum pieces, should also be returned to their countries of origin quickly and for free, it states. The resolution passed 123-three, with Israel, the US, and Argentina voting against, and 52 other countries abstaining, including the UK and all 27 members of the EU.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama introduced the resolution on behalf of the African Union, calling on the 193-member world body to “pursue a route to healing and reparative justice”.
He said before the vote: “Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice.
“The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting. Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of slavery.”
In September 2025, the African Union joined the Caribbean Community in calling for reparations from Britain for its “colonial crimes”, with the Caribbean Community submitting a bill of £18 trillion.
James Kariuki, the deputy permanent representative of the UK to the UN, said the history of slavery and “its devastating consequences and long-lasting impacts” must never be forgotten.
By approving the resolution, the UN reaffirmed the importance of addressing slavery and promoting “justice, human rights, dignity and healing.”
Member nations are urged to engage in talks “on reparatory justice, including a full and formal apology, measures of restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, guarantees of non-repetition and changes to laws, programs and services to address racism and systemic discrimination.”
They are also encouraged to make voluntary contributions to promote education on the transatlantic slave trade and collaborate with the African Union “on reparatory justice and reconciliation”.
