UN Resolution on the Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity: African Group’s Stance and Global Context
Ambassador Samuel Yao Kumah of Ghana, speaking on behalf of the African Group at the United Nations, delivered a powerful statement ahead of a landmark UN Resolution seeking to declare the enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity. Addressing reporters in New York, Ambassador Kumah emphasized that the resolution is not an attempt to “rank suffering, nor does it attempt to create a legal hierarchy of crimes against humanity.”
A Continental Mandate for Recognition
Kumah clarified that this significant initiative was not a sudden undertaking but the result of a “clear continental mandate, grounded in decision, taken at the highest political level of Africa’s multilateral institution, the African Union.” He recalled that this commitment was publicly announced by the President of Ghana, John Mahama, during the 2025 General Assembly general debate, where he declared the country’s intention “to lead the tabling of a draft resolution on the declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as Gravest Crime Against Humanity.”
The Profound Proposition of the Resolution
The core of the resolution, according to Kumah, “advances a simple but profound proposition.” This proposition is the recognition that the “trafficking and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans was a world breaking event.” He described this historical period as “The moment when humanity itself was reorganised into a global hierarchy of race, labour, property and capital and helped construct the global economic and racial order whose legacies continue to shape our world today.”
Addressing concerns about creating a “hierarchy among historical atrocities,” the Ambassador countered that this “interpretation is misplaced.” He stressed that the resolution does not diminish other horrific acts, asserting that “every atrocity, genocide, apartheid, colonial violence and other crimes recognised under international law remains unequivocally condemned.” Instead, the resolution “simply identifies the historical mechanism that fundamentally restructured the world.”
An Act of Recognition, Not Accusation
Ambassador Kumah framed support for the resolution as “not an act of accusation, it is an act of recognition.” He called it an “affirmation that the international community possesses the moral confidence to name historical realities and learn from them.” Concluding his remarks on the resolution, he stated that “the trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans shaped the world we have inherited,” and “acknowledging this truth honours not only the memory of those who suffered, but also the universal principles of dignity, equality and justice upon which this organisation was founded.”—–Broader UN Engagements on Global Issues
The focus on historical and ongoing injustices was a theme across several UN events on the same day.
Secretary-General on Racial Discrimination and Historical Revisionism
Earlier in the day, Secretary-General António Guterres addressed a General Assembly event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Guterres voiced concern that the momentum for addressing racial discrimination is waning, noting that some governments are dismantling anti-racist policies and practices and that leaders are actively trying to rewrite history.
Special Rapporteur’s Report on Violence Against Palestinians
In a separate press encounter, Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, met the media to discuss her latest report, “Torture and Genocide,” which she had earlier presented to the Human Rights Council.
Ms. Albanese briefed journalists on her findings, which detailed concerns over torture, deaths in custody, the extensive destruction of Gaza’s health system, and what she categorized as a broader system of violence against Palestinians. The subsequent Q&A session focused on key contentious issues, including Israel’s criticism of her mandate, the international community’s response, challenges related to access and conditions in Gaza, deaths in custody, and the devastating impact on medical personnel.—–Humanitarian Crisis Update: Children in the Middle East Conflict
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban’s Briefing
Following a recent visit to Lebanon, UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban briefed reporters on the dire situation facing children in the Middle East amid the escalating conflict. He warned that “A further descent into a wider and more protracted conflict would be catastrophic for millions more.”
Chaiban revealed chilling casualty figures, stating that “children across the region are paying a devastating price.” According to UNICEF figures, since the escalation began, 118 children have been killed and 372 more have been injured in Lebanon, which he grimly noted is “the equivalent of a classroom of children every day that’s either killed or injured.”
Regional Child Casualties and Displacement
Across the wider region, the scale of the tragedy is immense. UNICEF reported that more than 2,100 children have been killed or injured since the beginning of the war, including 206 children killed in Iran, 118 in Lebanon, four children killed in Israel, and one in Kuwait. Chaiban cautioned that “These are the reported figures and they are expected to rise as the violence continues,” estimating this to be “an average of approximately 87 children either killed or injured every day.”
The violence has triggered massive displacement. Chaiban noted that “alongside the dead and the wounded, we are witnessing rapid displacement across several countries, driven by relentless bombardments and evacuation orders that have emptied communities and entire urban areas.”
- In Iran: Estimates indicate up to 3.2 million people have been displaced, including 864,000 children.
- In Lebanon: More than a million people are displaced, including 400,000 children, making up nearly one third of the displaced population. Many families are taking refuge in public buildings, including schools.
- Additionally, 90,000 Syrians have returned to Syria since the onset of the conflict, alongside several thousand Lebanese.
The Deputy Executive Director underlined the vulnerability of the region’s children, stating that “Around 44.8 million children were already living in conflict affected settings before this war and the consequences of what is unfolding now will be long lasting for them.”
Impact on Education and Humanitarian Response
The crisis has severely disrupted education, with more than 350 public schools currently being used as shelters, affecting the learning of around 100,000 students. Chaiban explained the profound loss this represents: “though efforts are on the way to provide online education and other ways to access children with learning and teaching, as we know schools provide more than learning. They offer structure, protection and continuity. So when schools are closed, are repurposed, those stabilizing elements are lost.”
UNICEF and its Partners have been actively responding. The Fund has reached 151,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in more than 250 shelters and hard-to-reach areas with essential non-food items. Furthermore, they are:
- Providing water and sanitation support to 188 of the 600 shelters, serving around 46,000 people.
- Pre-positioning high energy biscuits and ready-to-use complementary foods to prevent wasting among children.
- Distributing education and learning materials to some 13,000 children in shelters.
Urgent Funding Gap and Call to Action
Despite the critical work, a major funding gap threatens the response. Chaiban noted that the UN issued a three-month flash appeal for $308 million, with the UNICEF portion required being $48.2 million. Alarmingly, for both the UN and UNICEF, there is approximately an 85 percent funding gap. His key demand was for support to “be able to sustain the response, but also essential services that are critical for the population, and for the displaced in particular.”
Finally, the children’s fund issued an urgent call for “a cessation of hostilities and protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure,” reminding all parties of their fundamental obligations under international humanitarian law. Chaiban reiterated the need for a political solution, as “the Secretary-General has indicated, we need a de-escalation and a political way forward to this war.” He also specifically appealed for “safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access” to support ongoing missions and the essential financial support required to sustain the humanitarian response.
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