Global framework for reparatory justice adopted at event includes demand for compensation and debt relief More than money: the logic of slavery reparations A global framework for r…

Global framework for reparatory justice adopted at event includes demand for compensation and debt relief A global framework for reparatory justice has been adopted at a conference in Ghana, as African and Caribbean leaders demanded formal apologies from countries that benefited from the transatlantic slave trade. Heads of state and government and other officials formally approved the strategy on Friday at a gathering in a hotel in the capital, Accra, which was the first major meeting since the adoption of the landmark United Nations (UN) resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. The document lays out a 19-point global framework for reparatory justice. They include a call for “all state and non-state institutions yet to do so” to “offer full, formal and unconditional apologies as a foundational step towards reconciliation, trust-building and reparatory justice”. It also includes resolving to ensure fair and adequate compensation for Africans and people of African descent affected by legacies of enslavement, colonialism, genocide and apartheid, and to expedite the return of cultural property, human remains, archives and heritage to their countries of origin. The framework calls for multilateral measures to address sovereign debt burdens, including debt relief, to tackle lasting socioeconomic impacts of enslavement, colonialism and related historical injustices. “We recognise and honour the extensive efforts undertaken over generations by several governments, intergovernmental organisations, our forebearers, individuals and civil society partners across Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, as well as in Europe and Asia in shaping the global reparations agenda,” the participants say in the document. “We adopt this document as a basis for global collaboration and commit to engaging in transparent, constructive and good faith dialogue in advancing reparations and reparatory justice among all state and non-state actors.”