Accra: Heads of State and Government, ministers, diplomats, academics, civil society leaders, and representatives of the African diaspora have adopted a comprehensive framework aimed at advancing reparatory justice for Africans and people of African descent worldwide.
According to Ghana News Agency, the document, named 'Accra Next Steps Commitments on Reparatory Justice,' was adopted at the conclusion of the three-day High-Level Consultative Conference on the Next Steps to the Landmark United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/250 in Accra. This outcome document outlines a roadmap for implementing the landmark UN resolution, which declared the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity.
Convened at the invitation of President John Dramani Mahama, in his role as African Union Champion on Advancing the Cause of Justice and the Payment of Reparations to Africans, the conference brought together representatives from 123 United Nations member states supporting the resolution, alongside regional organizations, activists, scholars, and civil society groups.
The Accra conference followed the adoption of the landmark United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/250 in March 2026. The resolution, which received support from 123 member states, has been considered a significant diplomatic victory in the global reparations movement.
The conference is part of broader efforts by the African Union, CARICOM, and other partners to move the reparations agenda beyond recognition and advocacy towards implementation. Participants drew inspiration from earlier frameworks, including the Abuja Proclamation on Reparations, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and the CARICOM Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice.
The outcome document aligns with the African Union's designation of 2026-2035 as the Decade of Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations and the United Nations Second International Decade for People of African Descent. Participants committed to strengthening international cooperation, promoting historical truth, advancing legal and institutional reforms, and pursuing reparatory justice through sustained global engagement.
The document acknowledges the historic significance of the UN resolution, describing its adoption as evidence of a growing global consensus on addressing and repairing the enduring consequences of slavery and related historical injustices. It highlights the legacies of slavery manifesting through structural inequalities, economic disparities, systemic racism, cultural erasure, and development challenges affecting Africans and people of African descent globally.
Colonialism, apartheid, genocide, and other forms of exploitation and dehumanisation are recognised as part of broader historical injustices affecting African peoples and communities of African descent worldwide. A major highlight of the outcome document is the establishment of a Global Strategic Framework for Reparatory Justice, built around key pillars designed to guide future action.
Among the commitments is a call for states, institutions, and organisations that participated in or benefited from slavery and colonial exploitation to issue full, formal, and unconditional apologies for their roles. These apologies should be accompanied by guarantees of non-repetition and measures aimed at reconciliation and healing.
The framework calls for strengthened legal and institutional pathways for reparatory justice, including using international, regional, and domestic legal mechanisms to pursue accountability and redress for historical wrongs. Participants reaffirmed that slavery and racialised chattel enslavement constituted violations of international law, requiring fair compensation for affected peoples and communities.
The document highlights the importance of cultural restitution and calls for efforts to return cultural artefacts, human remains, archives, and heritage resources removed from Africa during slavery and colonial rule. Delegates pledged support for cultural restoration and preservation initiatives while strengthening cooperation within UNESCO and other international bodies to facilitate the return of cultural heritage.
The conference linked reparatory justice to broader global governance reforms, calling for reforms of the United Nations Security Council, international financial institutions, and global economic systems to ensure greater equity, representation, and participation for Africa and the Global South in decision-making processes.
The document advocates for comprehensive debt relief, debt restructuring, and debt cancellation measures for developing countries affected by the socio-economic consequences of slavery and colonialism. It calls for reforms to sovereign credit rating systems and stronger international support for vulnerable economies, including countries such as Haiti.
Emerging issues such as climate justice, technology access, digital inclusion, and public health are recognised as integral components of the reparatory justice agenda, with participants arguing that slavery and colonialism continue to shape vulnerabilities to climate change, health inequalities, and technological exclusion.
The outcome document emphasises gender justice, acknowledging the specific impacts of slavery on African women and girls, including sexual violence, reproductive exploitation, and family separation. It calls for gender-responsive reparatory processes ensuring women's full participation in decision-making and implementation.
Education, historical memory, and truth-telling are major areas of focus, with participants committing to addressing knowledge gaps and historical distortions through education, research, memorialisation, and public awareness initiatives. The conference called for preserving forts and castles across Africa and the Caribbean as memorials to the victims of slavery and as tools for combating historical denialism.
Recognising the importance of reconnecting Africans with their descendants abroad, the document encourages African states to strengthen citizenship pathways, right-of-return programmes, cultural exchanges, and diaspora engagement initiatives as vital measures for restoring connections severed by centuries of enslavement and forced displacement.
To ensure implementation of the commitments, President Mahama announced the establishment of three global mechanisms: a High-Level Global Advisory Council on Reparatory Justice, a Global Expert Panel on the Restitution of Cultural Heritage, and a Global Legal Panel on Reparatory Justice. The conference also agreed to convene annually to assess progress, review implementation, and strengthen international collaboration on reparatory justice.