The United Nations’ top racial discrimination body has called on countries implicated in the transatlantic slave trade to provide reparations, saying the harm must be addressed through comprehensive measures.
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination made the appeal in General Recommendation 40, issued Monday to mark the International Day for People of African Descent.
The 18‑member panel said states involved directly or indirectly in the slave trade have a present‑day legal obligation to implement reparatory measures for people of African descent.
The committee outlined remedies ranging from monetary compensation and restitution to rehabilitation, memorials, formal apologies and guarantees against recurrence.
It also urged governments to investigate and disclose the full history of race‑based slavery.
The findings by the UN panel move reparations from a historical responsibility to a current legal obligation tied to ongoing racial discrimination.
While the recommendations are not legally binding, the committee said they carry authoritative weight and could guide courts, governments and future litigation.
The call comes amid growing pressure across Africa and the Caribbean for reparations.
The African Union declared 2025 as the Year of Reparations and subsequently proclaimed 2026 to 2036 as the Decade of Reparations to seek global justice for transatlantic enslavement, colonialism and apartheid.
In June, representatives from more than 80 countries meeting in Ghana adopted a 19‑point framework demanding compensation, debt relief, unconditional apologies and the return of cultural property and human remains.
JN/APA