A memorial sculpture by Sandrine Plante-Rougeol in Bordeaux, a historic slave-trading port, where the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade remains central to debates on recognition and reparations. Photo: AFP/ Georges Gobet

Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but they are an important reflection of world opinion. Photo: Reuters/Jeenah Moon/File

Former Governor of the Virgin Islands, Augustus J.U. Jaspert, said in September 2020 that the United Kingdom's (UK) position on paying reparations to the Virgin Islands for acts of slavery and the slave trade is not the position of the Crown at the moment, hinting that the VI should expect nothing. Photo: VINO/File

The resolution- proposed by Ghana- was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, passing with 123 votes in favour, three against (United States, Israel & Argentina) and 52 abstentions among the 193 member states.

It formally recognises the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the transatlantic slave trade as among the most severe violations in human history, and calls for action to address their lasting impact.

The resolution calls for countries to engage in discussions on reparations, including formal apologies, financial compensation, the return of cultural artefacts and reforms to tackle systemic racism and inequality.

It also urges the “prompt and unhindered restitution” of cultural property such as artworks, monuments and national archives to countries of origin without charge.

UK refuses to pay reparations

Countries like the UK have long rejected calls to pay reparations, saying today's institutions cannot be held responsible for past wrongs.

In February 2015, the British Government completed repaying the loan of 20 million pounds that it borrowed to compensate enslavers so that they would agree to the emancipation of the enslaved people in 1834. The modern equivalent of £17bn was paid out to compensate slave owners for the loss of their human property.

Meanwhile, former Governor of the Virgin Islands, Augustus J.U. Jaspert, said in September 2020 that the United Kingdom's (UK) position on paying reparations to the Virgin Islands for acts of slavery and the slave trade is not the position of the Crown at the moment, hinting that the VI should expect nothing.

“In terms of reparations, that’s not a position the United Kingdom has taken, that’s not something that here [VI], that’s is in the position, but I think it is always worth ensuring that we learn lessons from the past and we reflect on what a horrific period in history that was,” he had said on a live Facebook interview on Monday, September 7, 2020, with 284 Media.

Many progressive Virgin Islanders had said the Governor’s response and presence in the Virgin Islands was a manifestation of white supremacy and that his office remains a remnant of slavery and colonial rule.

Resolution not legally binding

Unlike UN Security Council resolutions, those from the General Assembly are not legally binding, though they carry the weight of global opinion.

Between 1500 and 1800, around 12-15 million people were captured in Africa and taken to the Americas where they were forced to work as slaves. It is estimated that over two million people died on the journey.

The resolution, backed by the African Union and the Caribbean Community, states that the consequences of slavery persist in the form of racial inequalities and underdevelopment, "affecting Africans and people of African descent in all parts of the world".