The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has called on governments to introduce comprehensive reparations for people of African descent, saying the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade continues to drive systemic racism and racial inequality.
In guidance published on Monday, the 18-member committee said countries could not rely on the passage of time or historical legal arguments to avoid addressing the continuing consequences of slavery and the slave trade.
The committee said states that are parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination have obligations under existing international law to tackle the effects of racial discrimination, regardless of whether slavery was prohibited under international law when it occurred.
It described the position as an important shift from arguments over historical responsibility that have frequently been used to oppose demands for reparations.
The experts urged governments to adopt a broad range of remedies, including financial compensation, restitution, rehabilitation, official recognition and guarantees aimed at preventing the recurrence of discriminatory practices.
They also called for national reparations plans with specific deadlines, developed in consultation with people of African descent and communities affected by the legacy of slavery.
The committee urged states to review, repeal or amend laws and policies that perpetuate racial discrimination or prevent affected communities from accessing reparative justice.
According to the committee, the consequences of slavery remain evident in structural inequalities affecting education, healthcare, economic opportunities and environmental security.
It also cited racialised violence, damaging stereotypes and institutional barriers as continuing factors that disadvantage people of African descent.
Pela Boker-Wilson, a Liberian member of the committee who helped draft the guidance, said governments should move beyond expressions of regret and take practical steps to address laws and policies that continue to reproduce inequality.
“The recognition and apologies should be accompanied by concrete measures,” the committee said, stressing that acknowledgment alone could not substitute for meaningful reparations.
The committee said responsibility for reparative efforts should extend beyond governments to institutions that participated in, facilitated or benefited from the slave trade.
It specifically identified religious organisations, universities, corporations, banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions.
Such institutions, the committee said, should acknowledge their historical roles, provide access to relevant archives and contribute to reparations in proportion to their involvement and the benefits they derived.
The committee estimates that at least 12.5 million Africans were forcibly captured and sold between the 15th and 19th centuries, describing the transatlantic slave trade as the largest forced displacement in history.
Millions of African men, women and children were transported to the Americas, where many endured brutal and deadly conditions.
Calls for reparations have intensified in recent years, with proposals ranging from formal apologies and memorialisation to financial compensation, policy reforms and institutional changes.
Supporters argue that the consequences of historical racial injustices continue to influence contemporary inequalities and therefore require meaningful remedies.
Opponents, however, maintain that present-day governments and institutions should not be held responsible for actions committed generations ago.
The UN committee rejected that argument, saying the central issue was not simply historical culpability but the continuing effects of slavery and the legal obligations states have today to combat racial discrimination.
The committee urged governments to translate acknowledgment into concrete action, warning that expressions of regret without meaningful measures would be insufficient to address the enduring legacy of slavery.
