UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly will vote Wednesday on a resolution designating the transatlantic African slave trade as &quot;the gravest crime against humanity,&quot; in a move advocates say is a step towards healing and justice. Ghana&#39;s President John Mahama, one of the African Union&#39;s most vocal supporters of slavery reparations, visited the United Nations headquarters to promote the &quot;historic&quot; gesture. The resolution, he told the UN on Tuesday, &quot;allows us as a global community to collectively bear witness to the plight of more than 12.5 million men, women and children, whose homes, communities, names, families, hopes, dreams, futures and lives were stolen from them over the course of 400 years.&quot; Calling it &quot;a safeguard against forgetting,&quot; Mahama took aim at recent political moves in the United States to ban books on the subject in order to &quot;stop teaching students about the truth of slavery, segregation and racism.&quot; The draft resolution &quot;declares the trafficking of enslaved Africans and radicalized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.&quot; The text also highlights the legacy of slavery via &quot;the persistence of racial discrimination and neo-colonialism&quot; in today&#39;s society. Not ranking suffering&nbsp; Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, the African Union&#39;s Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Development, said that &quot;to name these atrocities clearly is to remove the last veils of ambiguity from the historical record.&quot; &quot;It is to say that what was done to Africans was not a tragic accident of history, but the result of deliberate policies whose legacies structure today&#39;s inequalities,&quot; she continued. &quot;Justice begins with calling things by their proper names.&quot; But the resolution goes beyond simple acknowledgement, asking nations involved in the slave trade to engage in the process of restorative justice. &quot;The perpetrators of the transatlantic slave trade are known, the Europeans, the United States of America,&quot; Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa told AFP. &quot;We expect all of them to formally apologize to Africa and to all people of African descent.&quot; One pathway toward restorative justice, he said, is that &quot;all the looted artifacts are returned to the motherland.&quot; He also suggested that institutions continue to address structural racism and that &quot;compensation&quot; could be offered to those affected. Okudzeto Ablakwa also acknowledged criticism of the resolution brought by some General Assembly members that the language of it could create a &quot;hierarchy&quot; of suffering. &quot;We are not ranking suffering when we say that the transatlantic slave trade represents a &#39;gravest crime against humanity,&#39; it is not to introduce a hierarchy,&quot; he said. &quot;What we are saying is that if you look at all of the atrocities that have happened in the history of humanity, none have been this systemic, this prolonged, over 300 years, and the lingering consequences of that,&quot; he said. &quot;We are not ranking pain. We are not saying that our pain should be valued more than your pain.&quot;

John Mahama Ghana's President (File Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Americas

The resolution "allows us as a global community to collectively bear witness to the plight of more than 12.5 million men, women and children, whose homes, communities, names, families, hopes, dreams, futures and lives were stolen from them over the course of 400 years."


UN resolution seeks to call African slave trade 'gravest crime' 

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), during its 80th session on Friday, adopted by consensus a Pakistan-sponsored resolution titled &ldquo;Universal Realization of the Right of the Peoples to Self-Determination.&rdquo; The resolution was passed with broad international support, reflecting widespread recognition of the inalienable right of peoples subjected to colonialism, alien domination, and foreign occupation. In a post on X, Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Mission to the UN highlighted that the adoption of the resolution underscores global backing for the rights of the people in regions facing such circumstances.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2001767063044657306&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=9931d0af7fe44e535101499368c84e8164829e2c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>It emphasizes the situations of the people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine explicitly, reinforcing international attention to their struggle for freedom, dignity, and self-determination in line with UN Security Council resolutions. &lsquo;Enduring obligation&rsquo;&nbsp;In a related development, Pakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, addressing the Assembly on the occasion of the International Day against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations, said self-determination was &ldquo;not merely a historical aspiration, but an enduring obligation&rdquo; of the international community.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2001768111645823124&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=9931d0af7fe44e535101499368c84e8164829e2c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;Recent developments in the Middle East demonstrate that lasting peace cannot be achieved through the continued denial and suppression of the legitimate right to self-determination of the Palestinian people,&ldquo; he said. On Indian-occupied Kashmir, the Pakistani envoy reminded the UNGA that the issue was not a bilateral dispute but an internationally recognized one. &ldquo;The UNSC, through several resolutions, has recognized the legitimate right of self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains central to the establishment of durable peace in South Asia,&rdquo; Ambassador Jadoon added, warning that continued inaction risked further instability in an already volatile region.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan mission says ‘consensual adoption of the resolution manifests broad international support for the inalienable right of the peoples facing colonialism, alien domination and foreign occupation.’

UN General Assembly adopts Pakistan-sponsored resolution on right to self-determination

UNITED NATIONS: Russia gets the microphone at the UN world leaders&#39; meeting on Saturday, three years into an invasion of Ukraine that the international community has broadly deplored, and a that powerful member newly says Ukraine can repel.&nbsp;Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is due to give his country&#39;s address at the General Assembly, four days after US President Donald Trump said he believed Ukraine can win back all the territory it has lost to Russia.&nbsp;It was a notable tone shift from a US leader who had previously suggested Ukraine would need to make some concessions and could never reclaim all the areas Russia has occupied since seizing the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and launching a full-scale invasion in 2022.&nbsp;Just three weeks earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country and the US had a &ldquo;mutual understanding&rdquo; and that Trump&#39;s administration &quot;is listening to us.&rdquo;&nbsp;Trump&#39;s new view came after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of General Assembly Tuesday, seven months after a televised blow-up between the two in the Oval Office. This time, the doors were closed, and the tenor was evidently different &quot;a good meeting,&rdquo; as Zelenskyy described it in his assembly speech the next day.&nbsp;For the fourth year in a row, Zelenskyy appealed to the gathering of presidents, prime ministers and other top officials to get Russia out of his country and warned that inaction would put other countries at risk.&nbsp;&ldquo;Ukraine is only the first,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Unauthorized flights into NATO&rsquo;s airspace intrusions blamed on Russia, have raised alarm around Europe in recent weeks, particularly after NATO jets downed drones over Poland and Estonia said Russian fighter jets flew into its territory and lingered for 12 minutes. Russia denied that its planes entered Estonian airspace and said the drones didn&#39;t target Poland, with Moscow&#39;s ally Belarus maintaining that Ukrainian signal-jamming sent the devices off-course.&nbsp;But European leaders see the incidents as intentional, provocative moves meant to rattle NATO and to suss how the alliance will respond.&nbsp;Russia has offered various explanations for the Ukraine war, among them assuring its own security after NATO expanded eastward over the years.&nbsp;Lavrov&#39;s address to the General Assembly last year was a bitter swipe at the West, whetted with a reference to &ldquo;the senselessness and the danger of the very idea of trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power, which is what Russia is.&rdquo;

Europe

At the UN, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov speaks amid war tensions. Trump shifted tone, saying Ukraine can reclaim lost land, after meeting Zelenskyy. NATO accused Russia of provocative airspace violations, while Zelenskyy urged global action against Moscow.

Russia addresses world leaders at UN three years into Ukraine invasion

VIENNA: Diplomats from Germany, United Kingdom (UK) and France held talks with Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to explore final options before sanctions are reinstated on Iran&rsquo;s nuclear program, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.&nbsp;A statement issued on behalf of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged the meeting, which also involves Kaja Kallas, the foreign policy chief for the European Union.&nbsp;Wadephul said the three European countries known as the &lsquo;E3&rsquo; will continue to negotiate with Iran.&nbsp;Amid a flurry of diplomatic engagements, Araghchi on Monday also met with Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in New York.&nbsp;Earlier this month, the UN nuclear watchdog and Iran signed an agreement mediated by Egypt to pave the way for resuming cooperation, including on ways of relaunching inspections of Iran&rsquo;s nuclear facilities. Iran&rsquo;s President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law adopted by his country&rsquo;s parliament suspending all cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, which followed Israel&rsquo;s 12-day war with Iran in June, during which Israel and the US struck Iranian nuclear sites. Iran has long insisted its program is peaceful, though Western nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assess that Tehran had an active nuclear weapons program until 2003.&nbsp;The process, termed a &ldquo;snapback&rdquo; by the diplomats who negotiated it into Iran&rsquo;s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers was designed to be veto-proof at the UN and could take effect in a month.&nbsp;The move set a 30-day clock for resumption unless a diplomatic agreement is reached.&nbsp;European nations have said they would be willing to extend the deadline if Iran resumes direct negotiations with the US over its nuclear program and allows UN nuclear inspectors access to its nuclear sites, and accounts for the more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium the UN watchdog says it has.&nbsp;If no diplomatic deal is found, the sanctions will automatically &quot;snapback&quot; on September 28.

Middle East

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi engaged European leaders to prevent sanctions “snapback,” stressing Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. Tehran seeks fair negotiations and insists cooperation depends on respecting its sovereignty.

Articles tagged with "UN General Assembly"

UN resolution seeks to call African slave trade 'gravest crime'

UN General Assembly adopts Pakistan-sponsored resolution on right to self-determination

Russia addresses world leaders at UN three years into Ukraine invasion

Iran's foreign minister meets European nations ahead of deadline