United Nations Declares Transatlantic Slave Trade The 'Gravest Crime Against Humanity' Despite Opposition From United States

The UN General Assembly declares the slave trade history's gravest crime, but the US and others oppose the resolution over legal concerns regarding reparations.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 26, 2026, 5:08 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from People

General Assembly Adopts Historic Resolution on Remembrance Day

On the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery, the U.N. General Assembly moved to redefine the historical legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. Led by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, the resolution identifies the trade as a "definitive break in world history" due to its systemic brutality and the enduring racialized structures of capital and property it created. The final tally saw 123 votes in favor, 3 against, and 52 abstentions. The measure calls for a global framework of "reparatory justice" to address the systemic racism that persists as a consequence of the four-century-long human trafficking enterprise.

United States Cites Legal Non-Retroactivity in Dissenting Vote

The U.S. delegation, represented by Ambassador Dan Negrea, issued a formal explanation for its "no" vote, emphasizing that the U.S. does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical acts that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred. While Negrea affirmed the U.S. "condemnation of the historic wrongs," he argued that the resolution's language was "highly problematic." Specifically, the U.S. objected to the attempt to create a "hierarchy" of crimes against humanity, suggesting that labeling one event as the "gravest" serves to diminish the suffering of victims of other global genocides and atrocities.

European Nations Abstain Amid 'Hierarchy of Atrocities' Concerns

A significant bloc of 52 nations, including the United Kingdom and all 27 members of the European Union, chose to abstain from the vote. Representatives from the U.K. and the E.U. echoed the American sentiment, stating that creating a superlative rank for one crime over another is "not legally accurate" and simplifies the complexity of human suffering across different historical contexts. Despite these reservations, the E.U. acknowledged the "abhorrent" nature of the slave trade but maintained that U.N. practice should remain neutral in the comparative assessment of historical traumas.