Ablakwa reaffirms Ghana’s support for ICC at UN racism anniversary

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has reaffirmed Ghana’s support for the International Criminal Court (ICC).

He has called for stronger international action against racism, discrimination and crimes against humanity.

Mr Ablakwa made the remarks when he addressed a United Nations high-level commemorative session marking the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in New York on Monday, September 28.

The session was convened to commemorate the adoption of the Durban Declaration in 2001, which provides an international framework for combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

In a social media post on Wednesday, September 30, the Foreign Affairs Minister said the continued occurrence of racism, intolerance and discrimination decades after the declaration remained a concern.

“It must give us all great consternation that 25 years after the Durban Declaration, we are still witnessing extreme intolerance, violence and discrimination manifesting as genocide in Palestine, xenophobia in South Africa and attacks on minorities including Rohingya Muslims and African Americans,” he said.

He said Ghana’s efforts at the United Nations to secure recognition of the historical roots of racial discrimination were part of efforts to build a more equitable international system.

Mr Ablakwa cited UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/250, which was spearheaded by Ghana and adopted on March 25, 2026. The resolution declared the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as “the gravest crime against humanity” and was adopted with 123 votes in favour, three against and 52 abstentions.

According to the Minister, the resolution could support further discussions on apologies, the return of looted cultural heritage and other forms of reparatory justice.

He also referenced remarks by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who, according to Mr Ablakwa, described the vote on Ghana’s resolution as one of the most important votes in the UN’s 81-year history.

Beyond reparatory justice, Mr Ablakwa said Ghana remained committed to international mechanisms for addressing serious violations of human rights.

“This is why the Ghana-led landmark UN Resolution declaring the transatlantic enslavement and racialised chattel as the gravest crime against humanity is a historic step towards acknowledging the root cause of discrimination, injustice and inequality,” he said.