25th March, 2026, will stand as a historic milestone, a day when the global community of progressives affirmed that justice, no matter how delayed, cannot be denied. On this day, 123 members of the United Nations (UN) voted to recognize the transatlantic slave trade, which spanned the 15th and 19th centuries, as the “gravest crime against humanity”. The transatlantic slave trade and the enduring consequences of its brutality remain one of the foundational drivers of global inequality and the dichotomy of social and economic privileges currently known to mankind. The transatlantic slave trade institutionalized injustice, deepened poverty, entrenched underdevelopment, and propagated hatred on a global scale.
Millions of Africans were forcefully taken from their homeland to the ‘New World in shackles, where they labored under inhumane conditions in cotton and coffee fields and sugar plantations. This was carried out under unimaginable brutality, hardly recorded in history. In the process, Africa was deprived of a significant portion of its most able and productive population. These were individuals whose contributions might have transformed the continent’s development trajectory. Those who were enslaved endured extreme hardship, systemic discrimination, generational exploitation, racism, and profound servitude and indignities. The legacy of slavery and its extension in colonialism continues to reverberate negatively across political, economic, social, and spiritual dimensions, both within Africa and the global African diaspora.
The recognition of the UN General Assembly is therefore not merely symbolic; it reflects the intellectual and moral force of Pan-African thought in articulating the historical and contemporary challenges facing people of African descent. Slavery and its close counterpart, colonialism, represent a deep corruption of the human conscience that built a system which enriched some empires while plunging others into poverty, divisions, exploitation, and instability. To fully understand the structural distortion of slavery and colonialism and the system it created is to engage with the seminal work of Walter Rodney, particularly his influential book How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.
WHAT DOES THE VOTE SAY ABOUT AFRICA IN A FRAGMENTED WORLD
The UN resolution that recognized the transatlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity was sponsored by Ghana. This underscores Ghana’s growing leadership in advancing African emancipation and Pan-African ideals. It also builds on the country’s earlier effort, notably the ‘Year of Return’ initiative launched in 2019, which commemorated 400 years since the first arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia, USA. The Year of Return encouraged Africans and People of African Descent to reconnect with the continent, invest in its future, and celebrate the resilience and heritage of the people. This sustained engagement has reinforced Ghana’s position as a leading voice in contemporary Pan-Africanism.
The voting pattern at the UN also revealed enduring historical fault lines. Several countries with historical ties to slavery and colonialism either voted against the resolution or abstained; abstaining from voting is an action that, in diplomatic terms, often signals tacit opposition to the resolution. Almost all the industrialized countries today and members of the UN Security Council abstained from the resolution. Notably, the United States, Isreal and Argentina voted against the resolution. Only China and Russia supported the resolution as members of the UN Security Council. China’s position is often interpreted through its own historical experiences of external domination and exploitation, which may inform its sensitivities regarding historical injustice and global inequality.
The overwhelming support for the resolution from a broad coalition of countries signals an important moment for Africa. It suggests the need for African states to recalibrate their leadership and engagement with the global system by challenging exploitative structures within the international political and economic relations, while promoting fairness, dignity, and mutual respect. Africa must leverage this momentum to advocate for reparative justice, as Ghana has already begun doing so. According to the Ghanaian Foreign Minister, the reparations fund will be used to repair the damage caused by the slave trade. Calls for reparation, whether financial, institutional or symbolic, should be framed not merely as compensation, but as mechanisms for addressing structural inequalities rooted in historical injustice.
Ultimately, the persistence of global fragmentation, inequality, and conflicts underscores the need to humanize international relations. Nations with histories of oppression must be willing to acknowledge past wrongs, offer sincere apologies, and commit to restorative justice. Confronting these historical realities is essential for healing, reconciliation, and the construction of a more just global order. There should be civilizational dialogue to promote understanding among the community of human beings that are struggling to find their development path.
CONCLUSION:
AFRICA AND CHINA IN A CHANGING GLOBAL ORDER
China’s support for the resolution highlights the dynamics of Africa-China relations. Over the years, China has positioned itself as a strategic partner to Africa, emphasizing cooperation, infrastructure development, and non- interference in domestic affairs. Its backing for this resolution can be seen as part of a broader commitment to a multi-polar world order, one that challenges historical imbalances and promotes inclusive development. China has consistently articulated a vision of global development that emphasized mutual benefits and shared prosperity, particularly in its engagement with African nations.
However, Africa’s path forward must remain grounded in strategic autonomy. While partnerships with countries like China offer opportunities, they must be carefully managed to ensure that they align with Africa’s long-term development priorities and do not reproduce new forms of dependency and servitude. Africa-China relations and South-South Cooperation in general must co-create a development blueprint that avoids the pitfalls of a competitive rather than collaborative development model.
A truly just world will require collective responsibility, historical accountability, and a shared commitment to equitable development. In this pursuit, Africa and its global partners must work together to transform the legacy of the past into foundations for a more inclusive and dignified future. The call for reparation for historical injustice in Africa, Asia, or the Americas remains relevant and necessary. Reparation should be understood broadly as not just financial restitution but also cultural restoration, institutional reforms, and civilizational dialogue.
Oboshi J. Agyeno PhD is the Head; National Conflict Early Warning and Early Response System. Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Abuja.
e-mail: oboshiagyeno@ipcr.gov.ng /jacobya007@yahoo.com
088179111807 08029715663
