UN calls for reparations for African slavery

A UN committee has called on countries to adopt comprehensive reparations for people of African descent, arguing that the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade continues to fuel systemic racism and racial inequality. It said governments have legal obligations to address those lasting effects, reports africanews. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said the passage of time cannot be used to avoid addressing the enduring consequences of the slave trade and racialised slavery. In published guidance, the 18-member committee argued that countries party to the international convention against racial discrimination must take action under their current legal obligations, regardless of whether slavery was prohibited under international law at the time it was carried out. The committee described the approach as a significant shift away from arguments over historical responsibility that have often been used to resist reparations claims. The experts urged governments to combine financial and non-financial remedies, including compensation, restitution, rehabilitation, official recognition and guarantees that abuses and discriminatory practices will not be repeated. They called for national action plans with clear deadlines, developed in consultation with people of African descent and communities affected by the legacy of slavery. The committee also urged governments to repeal or amend laws and policies that perpetuate racial discrimination or obstruct access to reparative justice. The committee said the effects of slavery remain visible in systemic discrimination and structural inequalities affecting education, healthcare, economic opportunity and environmental security. It also pointed to racialised violence, harmful stereotypes and institutional barriers that continue to disadvantage people of African descent.

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