France defends abstention on UN slave trade resolution

France has clarified its position regarding a United Nations resolution that sought to classify the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity. Our nation's abstention from the vote, led by Ghana, was a deliberate choice, rooted in a principled stance against establishing a hierarchy of suffering.

Our Foreign Minister articulated that while France unequivocally condemns the horrors of the slave trade, we cannot endorse a resolution that implicitly ranks one atrocity above others. Such a classification risks diminishing the gravity of other profound crimes against humanity and complicates the universal pursuit of justice and remembrance. France believes that all such crimes demand our utmost condemnation and remembrance, without creating a comparative scale.

This decision reflects France's commitment to a nuanced and comprehensive approach to historical injustices. We acknowledge the immense suffering caused by the transatlantic slave trade and its lasting impact. However, our foreign policy must uphold the principle that all crimes against humanity are of the highest severity and warrant equal condemnation and concerted efforts towards reconciliation and prevention. Our abstention is not a dismissal of the slave trade's brutality, but a reaffirmation of our commitment to a framework that respects the gravity of all historical atrocities.

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it creates a hierarchy among crimes.