Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in \u201ccertain quarters,\u201d and urged countries to back Africa\u2019s push<\/p>\n
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
\nSpeaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
\n\u201dRacism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,\u201d he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that \u201cdigital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.\u201d
\nThe remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade \u201cthe gravest crime against humanity.\u201d The measure, proposed by Ghana, urged countries to consider apologizing and contributing to a reparations fund. It passed with 123 votes in favor, including from Russia and China. The US, Israel, and Argentina voted against it, while 52 countries, including the UK, abstained.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: UN declares slave trade \u2018gravest crime against humanity\u2019<\/p>\n
The vote came as the result of a years-long reparations campaign by African and Caribbean states. The African Union designated 2025 as the year of \u201cJustice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,\u201d while CARICOM has repeatedly pushed its 10-point plan, which includes formal apologies, debt cancellation, public health support and education programs.
\nThe move has since triggered widespread backlash among Western governments and political figures. The UK, which, according to a report by a former International Court of Justice judge, owes over $24 trillion in reparations to 14 Caribbean countries, has opposed the demands. British Chancellor Rachel Reeves previously said the country \u201ccannot afford\u201d the sums demanded, while the Conservative opposition has dismissed reparations as a \u201cscam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
The world names it the gravest crime. Why don\u2019t NATO and the EU?<\/p>\n
Nigel Farage\u2019s Reform UK has also dismissed the compensation claims as \u201cinsulting\u201d and threatened to block visas for citizens of countries seeking slavery reparations from Britain. Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, are among at least 17 countries which have demanded reparations from the former imperial power.
\nOn Tuesday, Turk welcomed the General Assembly\u2019s March 25 resolution supporting the AU and CARICOM campaign, acknowledging that \u201cefforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in certain quarters.\u201d
\nHe urged UN member states to adopt and enforce anti-racism laws, include young people of African descent and civil society in decision-making, and maintain momentum towards reparatory justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in \u201ccertain quarters,\u201d and urged countries to back Africa\u2019s push Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33391,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t