President John Dramani Mahama will present a resolution to the UN General Assembly in March seeking global recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity, the Presidency has announced.

In a statement issued on Sunday, February 15, 2026, the Presidency said the resolution has been adopted by the African Union, paving the way for its submission to the global body.

President Mahama disclosed this in his report to the 39th Assembly of Heads of State and Government, where he spoke in his role as the African Union Champion for Advancing the Cause of Justice and the Payment of Reparations.

“All peoples of African descent have been waiting for this day. The truth cannot be buried. The legal foundations are sound; the moral imperative is undeniable,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.

The Presidency said the resolution, first announced by President Mahama during the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2025, forms part of sustained continental efforts to place Africa’s reparations agenda before the international community.

President Mahama reported progress in setting up continental mechanisms on reparations, including the AU Coordination Team on Reparations, the AU Committee of Experts on Reparations, and a Reference Group of Legal Experts to provide legal and technical guidance.

He described the AU’s designation of 2025 as the Year of Justice for Africans through Reparations as a strategic policy step rather than a symbolic gesture, adding that the move marked a shift in Africa’s pursuit of redress for the legacies of transatlantic enslavement, colonialism and apartheid.

President Mahama, according to the Presidency, urged member states to establish national reparations commissions, engage formally with historical perpetrator states, and support the proposed Decade of Reparations to sustain momentum beyond the commemorative year.

“Reparatory justice will not be handed to us. Like political independence, it must be asserted, pursued and secured through determination and unity,” he said.

The statement said the AU engaged institutions, including UNESCO and the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent throughout 2025 to place Africa’s reparations agenda within global discussions on cultural restitution, historical truth-telling and emerging international concerns.

Major continental and international meetings held from Accra to Madrid, and culminating in the 9th Pan-African Congress in Lomé, were cited as advancing debate on reparations as tools for justice, dignity and development.

The Presidency said President Mahama has called on current African leaders to pursue justice and restore dignity to African peoples.

The presentation of the AU-backed resolution at the UN General Assembly in March, the statement added, will mark a milestone in Africa’s campaign for global acknowledgement and redress of historical injustices.