In March 2026 the United Nations General Assembly declared the “Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and
Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans” to be the “Gravest Crime against Humanity”. The resolution recognised, among other things, that “for 400 years the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans forcibly captured, commodified and transported millions of African men, women and children, constituting the largest forced migration in history and one of the longest-running systems of organized mass human exploitation in recorded history, with millions more dying during capture, detention and trafficking across oceans”.

In that resolution, the General Assembly encouraged Member States to “support initiatives aimed at reparatory justice and sustainable development for affected peoples, including consideration of contributions to reparations-related programmes established by relevant regional organizations”.

During the debate, UK Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, said the UK government has “repeatedly recognised the abhorrent nature of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, which inflicted untold harm and misery on millions of people over many decades.” But he said that “the UK is firmly of the view that we must not create a hierarchy of historical atrocities. [Also] it is essential, and integral to the rule of law, that the formation and evolution of international law is governed by clear and well-defined principles…There is equally no duty to provide reparation for historical acts that were not, at the time those acts were committed, violations of international law…It is important to acknowledge, with deep regret, that the prohibitions on slavery, the slave trade, and what are now considered crimes against humanity had not yet been established in international law at the time of the transatlantic slave trade.”

In a commentary on the UN Declaration, Professor of International Law at La Trobe University (Australia) and Honorary Professor of International Law at the University of Kent, Luis Eslava wrote “The final vote on the Declaration was striking: 123 in favour, 3 against (Argentina, Israel and the United States), and 52 abstentions, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and most European Union member states. This distribution revealed some of the deep fault lines running through the international legal order – a split between competing understandings of what international law is and what it can and should do.”

King Charles III started his visit to the Caribbean on 27 October 2026, amid heated debate over whether Britain should apologise for its role in the transatlantic slave trade or pay reparations. According to The Guardian, Charles is expected to deliver three significant speeches during the trip, but will follow government advice not to issue a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. The British government has also ruled out paying reparations.

But reparations are expected to be one of the most important issues raised during Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua 1-4 November 2026.