The adoption of this 19-point framework comes at a defining moment, following the recent United Nations General Assembly resolution recognising the transatlantic slave trade and slavery as the gravest crime against humanity. It reflects growing global recognition that historical injustices cannot simply be acknowledged; they must be remedied through concrete and transformative action.

For African workers, reparatory justice is not only about the past. It is about confronting the present realities of structural inequality, underdevelopment, debt burdens, illicit financial flows, economic dependency and persistent racial discrimination that continue to constrain opportunities for working people across Africa and the diaspora. The wealth extracted through slavery and colonialism helped build global prosperity for some while entrenching poverty and exclusion for many others.

ITUC-Africa supports the framework’s calls for formal apologies, restitution of cultural heritage, equitable compensation, debt relief and institutional reforms. We particularly welcome efforts to establish international mechanisms capable of advancing implementation and accountability.

We call upon governments, international institutions, employers and social partners to engage constructively in this process. Reparatory justice must form part of a broader agenda for economic democracy, social justice, decent work and sustainable development.

The time has come for the international community to move from recognition to action.

Issued in Lome, Togo, on June 21, 2026.

Akhator Joel Odigie
General Secretary
ITUC-Africa