UK Abstains on UN Vote to Describe Slavery As ‘Greatest Crime Against Humanity’

The UK abstained on a UN resolution to recognise the transatlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity” despite overwhelming support from non-European countries. 

At the UN General Assembly vote on 25 March, 123 countries voted in favour of the resolution, whilst just three – the US, Israel and Argentina – voted against. The UK and several EU member states were amongst 52 that abstained. 

The resolution called for reparations to address historical injustices, which saw 12.5 million Africans abducted and sold as slaves between the 15th and 19th centuries. 

The Netherlands is the only European country to have ever formally apologised for its role in the slave trade. 

In an official statement, the UK said it recognised “the abhorrent nature of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, which inflicted untold harm and misery on millions of people over many decades”. 

However, the government took issue with the legal wording of the resolution and argued that “we must not create a hierarchy of historical atrocities”.

A Foreign Office spokesperson told the Telegraph: “We are committed to deepening respectful, long-term partnerships with African countries, rooted in mutual respect, that deliver real change for people’s lives.

“The UK’s position on reparations is clear – we will not pay them.”

According to the National Archives, Britain was the most dominant slave-trading nation between 1640 and 1807 and transported an estimated 3.1m Africans to the British colonies in the Americas and Caribbean.

Sophia Sheera is a journalist in Novara Media’s social media team.