US Rejects UN Resolution Seeking Reparations for Slave Trade
The “Gilt of Cain” monument by Michael Visocchi & Lemn Sissay, commemorating the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, in London.
Photographer: Olivia Harris/BloombergThe US and two other nations voted against a United Nations resolution calling for members to recognize the transatlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity and the need for reparations for African nations.
Ghanaian President John Mahama introduced the resolution at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, where it passed with 123 votes in favor. The US was joined by Israel and Argentina in opposing the measure, while 52 countries — largely from Europe including the UK, Portugal and Spain — abstained.