politics
April 17, 2026
Reparations ‘key to dismantling systemic racism’
UN rights chief Volker Turk has backed reparatory justice for colonialism and enslavement as African and Caribbean states press their long-running campaign
TL;DR
- Reparatory justice for historical crimes is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
- Turk linked present-day discrimination against people of African descent to the legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
- The UN General Assembly recently adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade as 'the gravest crime against humanity'.
- African and Caribbean states have been campaigning for reparations for years, with the African Union designating 2025 as the year of 'Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations'.
- Some Western governments, including the UK, have expressed opposition to reparations, with some figures dismissing the demands.
- Turk urged UN member states to adopt anti-racism laws and include young people of African descent and civil society in decision-making.
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