• UN declares transatlantic slave trade a crime against humanity

• Resolution led by Ghana passes; US, Israel oppose, others abstain

• Text calls for reparations, action to address historical injustices

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on Wednesday declaring the transatlantic slave trade a grave crime against humanity.

Led by Ghana, the initiative aims to support calls for formal apologies and restorative justice, despite concerns from the United States and several European countries. The text was approved by 123 states, while the United States and Israel voted against it and 52 countries, including the United Kingdom and European Union members, abstained.

The resolution calls on states to commit to concrete measures to address historical injustices.

Accra is calling for tangible actions, including funding for education, training programmes, youth support and entrepreneurship, to tackle inequalities rooted in that period. Ghanaian authorities say reparations are not limited to financial compensation.

The European Union said the resolution could create a hierarchy among crimes against humanity by implying that some are more serious than others.

The transatlantic slave trade remains the largest forced displacement of Africans in history, spanning more than four centuries. Between 15 and 20 million Africans were captured, forcibly displaced and sent to the Americas and the Caribbean, according to UNESCO. They endured extreme brutality, the effects of which continue to impact their descendants across generations.

Ingrid Haffiny