The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling on Britain and other countries involved in the transatlantic slave trade to enter talks on reparations.
Campaigners say potential payouts could run into the trillions of pounds.
The motion, introduced by Ghana on behalf of the African Union, describes the slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity.”
It calls for “good-faith dialogue on reparatory justice, including a full and formal apology, measures of restitution, compensation.”
The non-binding resolution passed 124 votes to 3. The United States, Israel, and Argentina voted against.
The U.K. abstained, alongside 52 other countries, including all European Union member states.
In supporting the resolution, member states s affirmed “the importance of addressing historical wrongs affecting Africans and people of African descent.
It also meant accepting that “claims for reparations represent a concrete step towards remedying historical wrongs.”
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