General Assembly Declares Enslavement of Africans ‘Gravest Crime against Humanity’, Debates Legal Implications
Source: United Nations.
On March 25, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution (A/80/L.48) that formally declared the transatlantic slave trade and racialized chattel enslavement as the “gravest crime against humanity.”
While the resolution passed with 123 votes in favor, the three countries that voted against it were:
- United States
- Israel
- Argentina
Why did they oppose it?
The opposition was not based on a denial of the horrors of slavery itself, but rather on the legal and political implications of the resolution’s specific wording:
- Reparations: The United States argued that it does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred.
- “Hierarchy of Crimes”: Both the US and the UK (which abstained) expressed concern that labeling one event as the “gravest” crime created a hierarchy of atrocities, potentially diminishing the significance of other historical crimes against humanity like the Holocaust or other genocides.
- Political Framing: Some opposing delegations claimed the resolution’s historical timeframe was “selective” and “politically motivated.”
Other Key Detail
- Abstentions: 52 countries abstained, including the United Kingdom, Japan, and most members of the European Union.
- Historical Context: While the 2001 Durban Declaration previously acknowledged slavery as a crime against humanity, this 2026 resolution went further by calling it the “gravest” and explicitly urging for reparatory justice frameworks, including formal apologies and the restitution of cultural artifacts.
