Preparatory Committee for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development

Ambassador Harold Agyeman
Ghana’s Representative to the United Nations
December 02 2024

OPENING SEGMENT 35TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS WORKING GROUP OF EXPERTS ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT

Madam Chair,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
For Ghana, our presence here at this opening, of the 35th Session of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, represents our country’s enduring commitment to right the wrongs of the past and establish a fairer system and order that ensures equal opportunity for all peoples and the dignity of every human being. As we have often stated, there can be no better time than now for the global community to engage in meaningful, truthful, and respectful conversations about reparations. It may indeed be difficult for some, who enjoy the legacy benefits of slavery to comprehend the burden of history, racism, and systemic injustice that several centuries of slavery, followed by more than 100 years of colonialism, have placed on people of African descent, but we have the fortitude to simplify that difficulty and ensure that the justice due people of Africa descent are realized.

For Ghana it is ironic that when slavery ended owners of enslaved Africans received reparations, but the slaves and their descendants have to date received nothing? When we take the case of Haiti, which is the subject of another urgent meeting this very moment in the ECOSOC Chamber, this country had to pay under duress reparations amounting to twenty-one billion dollars ($21 billion) to French slaveholders in 1825 for the victory of the great Haitian Revolution, the first in the Americas and the Caribbean which freed the slaves. This was a payment that impoverished Haiti throughout the 19th century till today and which, if we are to be true to ourselves, lies at the root of the crisis in that country.  In this respect, as we transition from the first International Decade of People of African Descent into a Second Decade, Ghana commends the contributions of the Working Group and welcomes the special attention that this meeting is placing on ‘Reparatory justice for People of African Descent’.

We are encouraged by the growing awareness and global momentum on reparative justice. We remain hopeful that emerging initiatives, including your meetings over the next several days, will help engender concrete policy options and pathways to address the legacies of African enslavement and colonialism. While there are many reference points, I commend to the
Working Group the ‘Accra Proclamations on Reparations’, an outcome document of the International Conference convened by the African Union in Accra in November 2023, under the theme ‘Building a united front to advance the course of justice and reparations to Africans’. The Proclamation provides a useful framework of the continent of Africa’s guiding principles and engagement strategy. I urge the Working Group to consider the Proclamation and lend support to ongoing advocacy to advance its implementation alongside those of similar initiatives.

Madam Chair,
At the heart of reparative justice should be the objective to address the lasting legacies of slavery, colonialism, and systemic discrimination which continue to reinforce socio-economic disparities
for people of African descent. Reparations are not just about relitigating historic justices. They are also about righting the historical wrongs and remedying the deep-rooted inequalities that still shape our world today.

While no amount of money can restore the damage caused by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and its consequences, it is a subject that cannot be ignored, and restitutions must go along with the matter of reparations. Cultural properties that were illegally transported from the continent must be returned. Reparations will therefore go beyond financial compensation and substantial investments in education, healthcare, and infrastructure and should include formal acknowledgments and sincere apologies to foster true healing and empowerment.

As we move forward in forging a world grounded in true equality, respect, and a shared humanity, free from the burdens of the past, Ghana believes that the successful execution of the first Decade should encourage us all to renew our commitment to building a better future for all people. That future would also be a future where the identity of Africans would not be permitted to be shaded or brought down whether in the Caribbean, the United States, Latin America, Asia, or the Pacific.

As Africans, no matter where we may find ourselves, we are Africans and we would work to make ourselves proud of who we were, who we are, and who we aspire to become. In this context, we must take ownership of our narrative and continue to stand in unity, work to strengthen partnerships and foster inclusive participation by all segments of our population, especially women and the youth to shape the future we want.

For Ghana reparative justice is not merely a symbolic pursuit; it is an essential step toward building a future where historical injustices no longer cast a shadow over human progress. This therefore requires that the global institutions and systems that have heavily biased the countries of Africa and its Diaspora cannot be allowed to continue in the same manner they have operated – they must be reformed, and they must be reformed now.

I would like to close by assuring your meeting of Ghana’s unwavering commitment to supporting the mandate of the Working Group and in work collaboratively with all in pursuit of reparatory
justice.

I thank you.