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10.29.2019 -
UN human rights expert calls on States to make reparations for colonialism and slavery
“Reparations for racial discrimination rooted in colonialism and slavery are essential to the fulfillment of human rights, a UN human rights expert said today, calling on States to accept they have obligations and responsibilities to make reparations to victims and their descendants.”
“Ultimately, the difficult truth is that the greatest barrier to reparations for colonialism and slavery is that the biggest beneficiaries of both lack the political will and moral courage to pursue these reparations.”
The United Nations and Reparations for the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Colonialism
In 2001, leaders from around the world held the World Conference Against Racism (“WCAR”) in Durban, South Africa under authority of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution #52/111.[1] There were two noteworthy and seemingly disparate outcomes from this Conference. First, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (“DDPA”) acknowledged the historic and modern-day practices of slavery and the slave trade as morally disgraceful, and activities that would be listed as a crime against humanity today.[2] On the other hand, there was an outright refusal by certain countries from the European Union to apologize for slavery. This push was led by Britain and joined by Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands who believed that formally apologizing for slavery and colonization (as requested by African, Caribbean, Latin American and Asian countries) would create legal implications that would force their countries to pay reparations.
There are currently sixteen UN members that have held colonies; most of these colonies are also current members of the United Nations. There are still eight countries in the UN who continue to hold territories: Australia, Denmark, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
08.18.2016 -
Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on its mission to the United States of America
...the Working Group remains extremely concerned about the human rights situation of African Americans. In particular, the legacy of colonial history, enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the United States remains a serious challenge, as
there has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent. Contemporary police killings and the trauma that they create are reminiscent of the past racial terror of lynching. Impunity for State violence has resulted in the current human rights crisis and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
