Brazil backs Ghana's draft UN resolution to declare slave trade 'gravest crime against humanity'

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced his country's "full support" for Ghana's draft UN resolution seeking to declare the transatlantic slave trade as "the gravest crime against humanity."

This came to light following talks between the Brazilian president and Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Akudzeto Ablakwa on the sidelines of a high-level forum with delegates from Africa and a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in Colombia on Saturday.

Ghana intends to propose a United Nations resolution recognising transatlantic slavery as the "gravest crime in the history of humankind" and calling for reparations, taking into account the "scale, duration, legalisation and enduring consequences" of the slave trade.

The West African nation, a prominent advocate of reparations on the continent, plans to table the proposal at the UN General Assembly later this week.

'Coalition getting bigger'

Ghana's Foreign Minister Ablakwa hailed Brazil's support. "This is profoundly significant considering the fact that Brazil has the largest population of people of African descent outside the continent of Africa," he said.

"Our reparatory justice coalition is getting bigger and better — we are confident of victory at the UN on 25 March 2026," the minister said. "Reparatory Justice shall be achieved."

The plan marks a new step in Africa's efforts to seek accountability for historical injustices by former colonial powers, and the country hopes it will "enjoy the support of many member states".

More than 12 million Africans were uprooted from their countries and transported across the Atlantic during the slave trade with devastating consequences.

'Return of colonialism'

While calls for reparations have gained momentum in recent years, several European leaders have opposed even discussing the subject, with critics arguing today's states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical wrongs.

During the summit in Colombia, Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also criticised what he called the return of a colonial approach toward developing nations, pointing to the disposal of ex-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the fuel blockade of Cuba.

"It's not possible for someone to think that they own other countries," Lula said. "What are they doing with Cuba now? What did they do with Venezuela? Is that democratic?"

The Brazilian president also criticised the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran on 28 February and drew a parallel with the Iraq War.

"Iran has been invaded under the pretext that Iran was building a nuclear bomb. Where are Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons? Where are they? Who found them?"

Lula said that all countries present at the summit had already experienced being plundered for gold, silver, diamonds and minerals. "After taking everything we had, now they want to own the critical minerals and rare earths that we have," Lula said. "They want to colonise us again."

UN failure

Lula criticised the United Nations' inability to stop multiple conflicts around the world. "What we are witnessing is the total and absolute failure of the United Nations," said Lula, once again calling for reform of the body's Security Council.

The Security Council is mandated in the UN Charter with ensuring international peace and security, but analysts say it has failed in major conflicts because of the veto power of five permanent members: the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France.

There have been decades of efforts to reform the Security Council to reflect the current geopolitical realities of the world, not of the post-World War II era 80 years ago, when the United Nations was established.