Reparatory Justice Framework: Accra to host high-level dialogue in June
A high-level consultative dialogue to design a common framework on reparatory justice for submission to the United Nations will be held in Accra from June 17 to 19, this year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced.
The conference, to be hosted by President John Dramani Mahama in his capacity as the African Union (AU) Champion on Reparatory Justice, is intended to consolidate international momentum and shape a structured, inclusive and action-oriented global pathway following the landmark United Nations resolution on the trafficking of enslaved Africans.
Addressing members of the diplomatic corps in Accra recently, Mr Ablakwa said the gathering was central to the resolution’s call for good faith dialogue on reparatory justice.
He explained that by anchoring the reparations discourse in multilateral consensus, the resolution established a shared moral and political foundation for a global conversation aimed at reparatory justice, systemic reform and historical reckoning.
“It signals an irreversible shift from denial and minimisation towards responsibility, dialogue and constructive engagement,” the minister said.
He emphasised the importance of good faith dialogue, stating that Africa and its partners were ready to engage and create meaningful platforms for the process.
“It is our hope that this process will lead to healing, will not promote acrimony or division, but it will bring all of us together,” he added.
The minister explained that the central outcome of the Accra conference would be the adoption of a global post-adoption framework to provide coherence, structure and continuity to international efforts arising from resolution A/RES/80/250.
He said President Mahama desired a common framework to end fragmentation among existing initiatives.
“Our brothers and sisters in CARICOM have the CARICOM 10-point plan.
The African Union is also developing an African strategy for reparatory justice. And then our friends, brothers and sisters in the United States of America have a bill they’ve been trying to push through Congress for some time now.
“Our agenda is to have a common framework… so that we can come together and have one common blueprint, which we shall all pursue,” Mr Ablakwa said.
An outcome document from the conference will be transmitted as a contribution to the report of the UN Secretary-General ahead of the 82nd session of the General Assembly, in line with the resolution’s accountability mechanisms.
Panel session
The programme will begin on June 17, 2026, with a meeting of senior officials and technical experts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Members of the diplomatic corps
The session will draw on a series of virtual consultations and is expected to contribute to the formulation of a global post-adoption framework to guide international action.
The high-level segment will take place on June 18, featuring addresses by heads of state and foreign ministers, thematic messages, panel discussions and interactive exchanges focused on reparatory justice, restitution of cultural heritage, legal frameworks and implementation mechanisms.
On the same day, three panels will be introduced: a Global Advisory Panel, a Panel on Restitution and a Panel to pursue the legal pathway.
The panels will be made up of distinguished world leaders, jurists, researchers, academics and activists.
conference will adopt a symbolic format on June 19 with a traditional durbar at the historic Osu Castle, also known as Christiansborg Castle.
The durbar will be preceded by a guided tour of the castle to honour the memory of the millions of Africans whose lives were violently displaced or destroyed through trafficking and enslavement.
Mr Ablakwa noted that June 19 coincided with Juneteenth, the date commemorating the final emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States in 1865.
He said it would be the first joint commemoration outside the United States with an African country, undertaken in collaboration with US partners.
Commendation
Mr Ablakwa commended the French President, Emmanuel Macron, for indicating during a recent bilateral engagement with President Mahama in Paris that France was willing to engage in the dialogue, even though it had abstained from the UN vote.
He said President Macron did not want the discussion to become a “Global South against a Global North” matter and believed common ground could be found.
“That is what the promoters of this resolution want to see. We want to encourage everybody, whether you voted for or against, that all hope is not lost.
Let us come together, let us dialogue, because we have shared values,” Mr Ablakwa stated.
