President John Mahama has announced that Ghana will host a high-level side event during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in September to receive progress reports on work towards reparatory justice.
The event will provide an opportunity to assess the work of three bodies established by Ghana as part of efforts to advance the global reparations agenda.
The three bodies are the High-Level Advisory Council on Reparatory Justice, the Global Experts Panel on the Restitution of Cultural Heritage and the Global Legal Panel on Reparatory Justice.
Mahama, who serves as the African Union Champion for Reparations, made the announcement while briefing fellow African leaders at the 21st Extraordinary AU Summit in Luanda on developments in the global campaign for reparatory justice.
According to the President, the September engagement will follow the Next Steps Conference on Reparations held in Accra in June, where Ghana expanded the scope of its work to include indentured labour as a historical injustice.
The conference followed the adoption of a historic UN General Assembly resolution achieved through collaboration among the African Union, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Diaspora.
The resolution declared the enslavement of Africans the gravest crime against humanity, giving renewed international attention to demands for reparations and restitution.
Mahama said the issue, once considered too sensitive for mainstream international diplomacy, was now gaining significant global momentum.
He pointed to developments including the return of looted African artefacts, the repeal of historical legislation such as France’s Code Noir, as well as acknowledgements and commitments from international institutions.
The President said he had invited Heads of State to participate in the September side event as Ghana continues to push for justice, restitution and dignity for Africa and people of African descent worldwide.
The meeting is expected to provide an update on the work undertaken by the expert bodies since their establishment and help sustain international attention on the broader reparations campaign.
