Ghana Reassures Diplomats of Strong Bilateral Ties Following United Nations Slavery

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to maintaining cordial relations with all nations, including those that opposed or abstained from the recent United Nations resolution on slavery reparations.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, May 3, Mr Ablakwa disclosed that he had convened a briefing with members of the diplomatic corps in Ghana to convey the appreciation of President John Dramani Mahama and the Ghanaian people for the strong international backing that led to the adoption of the resolution at the United Nations.

“I held a briefing of the diplomatic corps in Ghana. The objective was to express the appreciation of President John Mahama and all Ghanaians including my humble self for their country’s support during the historic UN adoption of the resolution declaring transatlantic enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity,” he stated.

The Minister emphasised that Ghana holds no resentment towards countries that did not support the motion, noting that their stance would not affect existing diplomatic engagements.

“I assured the few who voted against and abstained that the Government of Ghana bears no grudge and does not expect their decisions to undermine our cordial diplomatic relations,” he added.

Mr Ablakwa further indicated that Ghana is spearheading efforts to build a broad international alliance aimed at advancing reparatory justice.

“On behalf of President Mahama I extended an invitation to every nation to join our expanding large global coalition for reparatory justice of more than 123 countries as we begin a rollout of next steps and commit towards dismantling the enduring consequences of enslavement.”

He also commended Netherlands and Germany for signalling their readiness to return artefacts currently in their custody, describing the development as a significant step in addressing historical injustices.

The United Nations resolution, backed by over 120 countries, recognises the transatlantic slave trade as one of the gravest crimes against humanity and marks a renewed global push towards reparatory justice.