The United Nations General Assembly voted by a wide margin to designate the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity” and called for reparations to states harmed by the practice.
Estimates suggest that between 12 million and 15 million Africans were captured as part of the slave trade.
The resolution, introduced by Ghana, states that UN member states should apologize for their role in the slave trade and contribute to compensation through a special fund.
The document was approved by 123 votes in favor and three against—cast by the United States, Israel, and Argentina. Another 52 countries, including Britain and EU member states, abstained.
Historically, the principal actors in the slave trade were Europe’s leading colonial powers—Britain, France, Portugal, and Spain.
Britain has previously rejected demands for reparations, arguing that modern state institutions cannot be held responsible for the crimes of the past.
The question of London’s role in the slave trade and in colonial policy is regularly raised by countries that suffered as a result of those processes.
Notably, the resolution was backed by a majority of the states that belong to the Commonwealth.