A United Nations committee has said countries have a legal obligation to consider reparations and other measures to address the lasting effects of the transatlantic slave trade and racial discrimination against people of African descent.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination made the position known in new guidance published on Monday, arguing that the obligation stems from the legally binding 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
According to the committee, the issue should not be determined solely by whether slavery and the slave trade were prohibited under international law at the time they occurred.
The committee described its position as a “paradigm shift” from arguments over historical responsibility that governments have frequently relied on to reject demands for reparations.
It said states that are parties to the convention must implement comprehensive reparatory measures for people of African descent, covering different forms of remedies.
The committee noted that an estimated 12.5 million Africans were captured and sold between the 15th and 19th centuries, describing the transatlantic slave trade as the largest forced displacement in history.
Demands for reparations have gained international momentum in recent years, with proposals ranging from formal apologies and financial compensation to broader measures aimed at addressing the social and economic consequences of slavery.
However, some governments and institutions have resisted such demands, arguing that present-day states should not be held responsible for historical acts committed before modern international legal standards were established.
The UN committee rejected that argument, stating that countries remain bound by their present obligations under the racial discrimination convention to address continuing structural inequalities, regardless of how the original acts were legally characterised.
It also said financial compensation alone would not be sufficient.
Among the measures recommended were opening historical archives, revising public memorials and establishing independent truth commissions to examine the legacy of slavery and racial discrimination.
Pela Boker-Wilson, a Liberian member of the committee who participated in drafting the guidance, said governments should move beyond expressions of regret and take concrete steps to review policies and laws.
“We are calling on state parties to take concrete and meaningful action,” she said, adding that the measures should help restore the dignity of people whose suffering had been denied, minimised or forgotten.
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Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
