World leaders arrive in Ghana for Next Steps Conference on reparatory justice 

Ghana is hosting world leaders, ministers and international stakeholders for a high-level conference aimed at advancing the global campaign for reparatory justice following the adoption of a landmark United Nations resolution on the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

The three-day Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice, convened by President John Dramani Mahama, is taking place from June 17 to June 19 and brings together representatives from more than 80 countries.

The gathering follows the adoption of United Nations Resolution A/RES/80/250 on March 25, which formally recognises the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.

The resolution received support from 123 UN member states, while Israel, the United States and Argentina voted against it.

Fifty-two countries, including the United Kingdom and France, abstained.

The conference is expected to build on the momentum generated by the resolution and facilitate discussions on the next phase of the global reparations agenda for Africans and people of African descent.

Announcing the arrival of delegates, Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said leaders from Africa, the Caribbean and beyond were attending the conference in Ghana.

“The Presidents of Senegal, Namibia, Liberia, São Tomé and Principe, Prime Minister of Barbados, Vice Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, Speaker of the Algerian Parliament and Ministers from over 80 countries arrive in Ghana for the Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice convened by President John Dramani Mahama,” he wrote in a social media post on Thursday, June 18.

“The convening comes three months after the historic adoption of UN Resolution A/RES/80/250 declaring the transatlantic enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity,” Mr Ablakwa stated.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the conference will provide a platform for governments, legal experts, historians, jurists, activists and other stakeholders to deliberate on strategies for advancing reparatory justice.

In a statement issued on May 4, the ministry said the conference was intended to sustain the momentum achieved at the multilateral level and chart a clear path for future engagement on reparations.

Among the international leaders expected to participate in the conference is French President Emmanuel Macron.