UN Panel Urges States to Confront Slavery's Legacy With Reparations

A UN committee has called on countries to adopt comprehensive reparations for people of African descent, asserting that the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade continues to fuel systemic racism and racial inequality.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination stated in guidance published Monday that governments have legal obligations to address the enduring consequences of the slave trade and racialized slavery, and that the passage of time cannot be used to avoid this responsibility. This represents a shift from arguments over historical responsibility that have often been used to resist reparations claims.

The 18-member committee urged governments to combine financial and non-financial remedies, including compensation, restitution, rehabilitation, official recognition, and guarantees against future abuses. They called for national action plans developed in consultation with affected communities and for the repeal or amendment of discriminatory laws. The committee highlighted that the effects of slavery remain visible in systemic discrimination and structural inequalities in education, healthcare, economic opportunity, and environmental security, as well as in racialized violence and institutional barriers. Countries involved directly or indirectly in the transatlantic slave trade have a present-day legal obligation to provide broad reparations, the committee stated.