{"id":205393,"date":"2026-03-26T12:18:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T12:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/u-s-is-one-of-three-countries-to-vote-against-u-n-resolution-calling-slavery-a-crime-against-humanity-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T12:18:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T12:18:21","slug":"u-s-is-one-of-three-countries-to-vote-against-u-n-resolution-calling-slavery-a-crime-against-humanity-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/u-s-is-one-of-three-countries-to-vote-against-u-n-resolution-calling-slavery-a-crime-against-humanity-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. is one of three countries to vote against U.N. resolution calling slavery a 'crime against humanity' – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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UNITED NATIONS \u2014 The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans \u201cthe gravest crime against humanity\u201d and calling for reparations as \u201ca concrete step towards remedying historical wrongs.\u201d
The resolution also urges \u201cthe prompt and unhindered restitution\u201d of cultural items \u2014 including artworks, monuments, museum pieces, documents and national archives \u2014 to their countries of origin without charge.
The vote in the 193-member world body was 123-3, with 52 abstentions. Argentina, Israel and the United States were the three members voting against the resolution. The United Kingdom and all 27 members of the European Union were among those that abstained.
While the United States opposes the past wrongdoing of the transatlantic slave trade and all other forms of slavery, it \u201cdoes not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred,\u201d deputy U.S. ambassador Dan Negrea said before the vote.
\u201cThe United States also strongly objects to the resolution\u2019s attempt to rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy,\u201d he said. \u201cThe assertion that some crimes against humanity are less severe than others objectively diminishes the suffering of countless victims and survivors of other atrocities throughout history.\u201d
Remembering George Floyd five years after his death
In the United States, support for reparations gained momentum in the wake of the murder of George Floyd<\/a> by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. However, the issue has been a difficult one and has been caught up in a broader conservative backlash over how race, history and inequality are handled in public institutions<\/a>.
Unlike U.N. Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but are an important reflection of world opinion.
\u201cToday, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice,\u201d Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, a key architect of the resolution, said before the vote.
\u201cThe adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting,\u201d he said. \u201cLet it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of slavery.\u201d
Mahama noted that the vote was taking place on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, honoring the memory of about 13 million African men, women and children enslaved over several centuries.
Diplomats applauded and some cheered the adoption of the resolution.
The history of slavery and \u201cits devastating consequences and long-lasting impacts\u201d must never be forgotten, said British acting U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki, speaking on behalf of mainly Western nations, including some that enslaved Africans.
Western nations are committed to tackling the root causes that persist today, he said, pointing to racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia and intolerance. He said \u201cthe scourge of modern slavery\u201d also must be addressed \u2014 trafficking, forced labor, sexual exploitation and forced criminality.
Cyprus\u2019 deputy U.N. ambassador, Gabriella Michaelidou, speaking on behalf of the E.U., echoed the U.S. and U.K. on concerns about \u201cthe use of superlatives\u201d that imply \u201ca hierarchy among atrocity crimes.\u201d
Michaelidou also cited the E.U.\u2019s concern about the resolution\u2019s \u201cunbalanced interpretation of historical events\u201d and legal references that are inaccurate or inconsistent with international law, including \u201csuggestions of a retroactive application of international rules which was non-existent at the time and claims for reparations.\u201d
The resolution \u201cunequivocally condemns the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans, slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as the most inhumane and enduring injustice against humanity.\u201d
In approving the resolution, the General Assembly affirms the importance of addressing the historical wrongs of slavery that promotes \u201cjustice, human rights, dignity and healing.\u201d
The resolution calls on U.N. member nations to engage in talks \u201con reparatory justice, including a full and formal apology, measures of restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, guarantees of non-repetition and changes to laws, programs and services to address racism and systemic discrimination.\u201d
It encourages voluntary contributions to promote education on the transatlantic slave trade and asks the African Union, the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States to collaborate with U.N. bodies and other nations \u201con reparatory justice and reconciliation.\u201d
The Associated Press
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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Morning Rundown: Tensions flare at Iran briefing, the far-reaching impact of the DHS shutdown, and AI ‘Love Island’ rules TikTok news AlertsThere are no new alerts at this timeUNITED NATIONS \u2014 The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans \u201cthe gravest crime against humanity\u201d and calling for reparations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":205394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-205393","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}