UN Committee Says Countries Must Consider Reparations for the Transatlantic Slave Trade

A United Nations committee has reframed the reparations debate by saying countries must address the continuing effects of the transatlantic slave trade under modern legal obligations.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said those obligations arise from the legally binding 1965 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. It argued that governments cannot avoid responsibility by pointing to the laws that existed when slavery and the slave trade took place.

The committee described its position as a “paradigm shift” away from arguments over historical responsibility. Governments have often used those arguments to resist claims for reparations. The committee said states must implement “comprehensive reparatory measures for people of African descent, covering all aspects of remedies.”

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States Parties must implement comprehensive reparatory measures for people of African descent, covering all aspects of remedies.

At least 12.5 million Africans were taken and sold between the 15th and 19th centuries. The committee described the trade as the largest forced displacement in history. Calls for reparations have grown internationally, ranging from official apologies to financial compensation, although opponents say states and institutions should not bear responsibility for historical crimes.

The guidance says money alone is insufficient. It urges governments to open archives, revise public memorials and establish independent truth commissions. Pela Boker-Wilson, a Liberian committee expert who helped draft the document, said states should move beyond broad expressions of regret and review their policies and laws.

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Irrespective of the legal characterization of the original historical acts, States Parties remain bound by their present obligations under the Convention to address structural inequalities.