President John Dramani Mahama has urged the international community and World leaders to ensure the dignity and humanity of victims of transatlantic slave trade is restored by voting to support the resolution to declare transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity.
He urged member states to take a firm moral stance, stressing that neutrality in the face of injustice only perpetuates wrongdoing.
“Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of slavery. Let our vote on this resolution restore their dignity and humanity, the President rallied leaders at the UN event.
Addressing the plenary of the United Nations General Assembly to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade on Wednesday, March 25, President Mahama said the proposed resolution represents a collective effort to confront historical injustices and pursue reparatory justice.
He said the draft resolution against slave trade was created after months of consultation and consensus-building by continental bodies, nations, experts, scholars, and jurists, with the sole aim of achieving a united front and grounding the final outcome in truth.
“Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice,” he stated.
President Mahama emphasised that adopting the resolution would serve as a safeguard against forgetting the sufferings of millions of Africans.
“We have travelled the long road, each step guided by a desire to be better, to do better; each step bringing us closer to the kind of world we would like to leave for our children,” he added.
Referencing quotes from former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., he reminded the Assembly of the enduring moral duty to pursue justice.
The President concluded by calling on nations to “stand on the right side of history” by supporting the resolution, describing it as a critical step toward restoring the humanity and dignity of those affected by the transatlantic slave trade.
