CARICOM welcomes UN resolution declaring slavery among gravest crimes against humanity

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has welcomed the adoption of a historic resolution by the United Nations General Assembly declaring the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement as among the gravest crimes against humanity.

In a statement issued Wednesday from the CARICOM Secretariat in Turkeyen, Guyana, the regional body said all CARICOM member states voted in favour of the Ghana-led resolution titled “Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity.”

The resolution, adopted on March 25, 2026, declares the transatlantic slave trade and chattel enslavement as humanity’s gravest crime, citing its scale, duration, brutality and enduring global consequences. It also calls for the establishment of reparations frameworks, while emphasising the importance of remembrance, research, education, healing and justice.

CARICOM noted that it has consistently advocated for decisive international action to address the harmful legacies of African chattel enslavement and transatlantic trafficking. The regional bloc said it remains committed to working collaboratively with global partners to advance implementation of the resolution.

The adoption of the measure was symbolic, taking place on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which is marked annually on March 25.

CARICOM described the resolution as a significant step forward in global recognition of historical injustices and ongoing efforts to pursue reparatory justice.