By Hannah Dadzie
Ghana and Togo have jointly hosted a high-level side event on the margins of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80) in New York to push for urgent reform of the UN system and renewed momentum on reparations.
Themed “The United Nations 80 Years Later: Accelerating the Reform Agenda and Strengthening Momentum Towards Justice and Reparations,” the meeting was held at the African Union Representative Office.
It brought together ministers, ambassadors, officials from the UN and AU, as well as members of the African diaspora.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, delivered remarks on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama, AU Champion for Reparations. He stressed that the gathering was a crucial platform to reflect on 80 years of the UN and to reinvigorate the call for justice, reparations, and institutional reform for Africa.
Participants at the event collectively noted that the multilateral system remains skewed, with Africa and the Global South underrepresented in decision-making bodies, particularly the UN Security Council. They argued that reparations for Africans and people of African descent must be seen as moral, historical, and developmental imperatives rather than abstract aspirations.
Speakers welcomed recent milestones, including the Declaration on Transcontinental Partnership for Reparatory Justice adopted at the 2nd Africa-CARICOM Summit in Addis Ababa earlier this month. They also lauded the African Union’s decision to extend its reparations theme into a Decade of Reparations (2026–2036) and operationalise new AU mechanisms to drive the reparations agenda.
The event called for accelerated UN reform, mobilisation of financial and legal tools to turn reparations commitments into concrete actions, and strengthening solidarity among Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the broader African Diaspora. Participants affirmed that reparations are crucial for addressing not only past injustices but also for dismantling ongoing structural inequalities to build a more just future for all.
