The legacy of enslavement and colonialism continues to shape the lives of Africans and people of African descent, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Thursday, calling for urgent action to deliver reparatory justice beyond financial compensation.
Over 30 million people were violently uprooted from Africa and condemned to a life of slavery.
Yet no country involved in enslavement or colonialism has fully confronted this past.
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Speaking at a high-level dialogue on reparatory Justice in Geneva, Mr. Türk said the transatlantic trade was an organised system of domination that treated tens of millions of African men, women and children as commodities.
Women and girls suffered particularly grave abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence, he underscored.
Reiterating that the legacy of these injustices lives on today, Mr. Türk told delegates that “their consequences – together with those of colonialism more generally – continue to shape who has opportunity, security, and power – and who does not.”
Calls for reparatory justice have been growing, said High Commissioner Türk. Some States, universities, religious groups and businesses have begun to confront their historic role in African enslavement.
Racism in everyday life
Racism can be encountered in everyday life, from employment and housing to education and healthcare, the UN rights chief said.
In some regions, police are several times more likely to use force against people of African descent, while people of the dispora are also disproportionately represented in prisons and criminal justice systems.
Mr. Türk also warned that emerging technologies could compound existing inequalities.
AI could enable bias
“Artificial intelligence and other technologies are already reproducing human biases,” he said. “If we are not careful, they could deepen systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent.”
Mr. Türk stressed that reparatory justice should not be understood as financial compensation alone.
Instead, it should include confronting the truth about the past, formal apologies, truth-seeking initiatives and memorials recognising the experiences and contributions of Africans and people of African descent.
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Other measures can include the restitution of cultural artefacts, compensation, education and awareness-raising, as well as medical and psychosocial support to address intergenerational trauma.
The UN rights office (OHCHR) has developed a series of explainers to help States advance reparatory justice, highlighting key measures and examples of action, including apologies.
Still falling short
“No State has fully accounted for the harms of the past or systemic racism today,” he continued noting that many countries still lack anti-racism legislation and that fewer than one in four have comprehensive anti-discrimination laws.
Calling for stronger implementation of existing laws and targeted investment to remove barriers affecting access to healthcare, housing, education, justice and employment, he said that Africans and people of African descent, particularly women, must be at the centre of reparatory efforts.
Mr. Türk urged reforms to the international financial architecture, including measures to ease unsustainable debt and strengthen the participation of African countries in international decision-making.
“A child born in 2026 should not have to carry the weight of centuries of racial discrimination and the horrors of the past,” he concluded.
