By Hannah Dadzie
Brazil has thrown its weight behind Ghana’s campaign at the United Nations to have the transatlantic slave trade declared the gravest crime against humanity.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced on his Facebook page that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had formally expressed support for President John Dramani Mahama’s proposed UN resolution.
According to Mr Ablakwa, the endorsement came during an engagement with President Lula on the sidelines of the ongoing CELAC-Africa Summit in Colombia.
“President of Brazil, H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has today announced his country’s full support for President John Mahama’s UN Resolution seeking to declare the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity,” the minister said.
He described Brazil’s backing as “profoundly significant,” noting that the South American country has the largest population of people of African descent outside the African continent. The minister said the growing support for the initiative strengthens confidence in Ghana’s chances ahead of the expected vote at the United Nations on March 25, 2026.
“Our reparatory justice coalition is getting bigger and better, we are confident of victory at the UN on the 25th of March, 2026,” he stated.
Ghana has been leading calls for reparatory justice and greater international recognition of the enduring impact of slavery and colonialism on Africans and people of African descent. The proposed resolution is expected to form part of broader efforts to advance justice, historical accountability and global acknowledgement of the transatlantic slave trade.
Mr Ablakwa expressed appreciation to President Lula for the meeting and his support for the initiative.
“I am most grateful to President Lula for the opportunity to engage him in the margins of the ongoing CELAC-AFRICA Summit in Colombia,” he said, adding, “Reparatory Justice shall be achieved.”
The development marks another diplomatic boost for Ghana’s campaign as it seeks to build an international coalition in support of the resolution before it goes before the UN later this month.
