Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the Donald Trump administration missed a golden opportunity when it voted against a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly to declare the enslavement of Africans a crime against humanity.
Ablakwa described the US decision as disappointing, noting that the country played a role in the atrocities committed during the transatlantic slave trade.
Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that the vote at the United Nations General Assembly presented an opportunity for the US to express regret for its involvement.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Africa, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stated, “Particularly for the United States, it is most disappointing because they know their role in this. They took part in the horrendous atrocities that occurred. We will leave it to their conscience.
“This was an opportunity for reckoning, to show regret, contrition, and a willingness to apologise and work with us on this journey towards reparatory justice,” he said.
Ablakwa added, “Ghana’s message to the Trump administration is that you missed a golden opportunity, but it is not too late. This resolution has been passed.
“You still have another opportunity to come on board and work with this broad international coalition to put in place the systems we are now formulating to dismantle the pillars of discrimination and racism,” he added.
Meanwhile, the United States, Israel and Argentina vote against Ghana’s UN resolution to recognise the slave trade as the ‘biggest crime against humanity’.
The three countries opposed the motion, which called for reparations and justice for the transatlantic slave trade.
According to the US, they acknowledge the horrors of the past, but do not accept the resolution, as they do not support legal claims for reparations.
The US representative during the 80th United Nations General Assembly argued that the US government, led by President Donald Trump, opposed the resolution.
They argued that the calls for reparations cannot hold because slavery was legal during the era of the transatlantic slave trade.
“The United States has defined long-standing objectives to the framing of reparatory justice and the duty of reparation for historical wrongs. While we acknowledge the horrors of the past, we do not accept this resolution’s assertion that historical facts from the 15th through 19th centuries constitute violations of jus cogens, as the term is understood in contemporary international law.
“The United States also does not recognise a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred. In addition to its obvious legal problems, this resolution is also unclear as to who the recipients of reparatory justice would be. The drafters and supporters of this resolution seem to believe it is them,” he said.
The US representative also stated that the resolution goes against the main objective of the United Nations, which is the maintenance of world peace and security.
“We regret that the United States must once again remind this body that the United Nations exists to maintain international peace and security. It was not founded to advance narrow, specific interests and agendas, to establish niche international days, or to create new costly meeting and reporting mandates. This resolution does all three,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa told the BBC’s Focus on Africa the Trump administration “missed a golden opportunity” by voting against a UN resolution recognising the transatlantic slave trade as the "gravest crime against humanity." pic.twitter.com/1hpjr7mYpu
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) March 27, 2026