Strengthening the legal and institutional capacities of African countries for the implementation of reparatory justice policies.

The African Union’s Theme of the Year 2025 – “Justice for Africans and People of AfricanDescent Through Reparations” – is a powerful call to integrate historical redress into contemporary development discourse. The Africa Dialogue Series (ADS) 2025 aligns with this vision to reposition reparatory justice as a lever for inclusive growth, social cohesion, and sustainable transformation. As acknowledged in key frameworks, including the Accra Declaration (2022) and the AU Assembly Decision. Reparatory justice is a development priority and a moral imperative. In the continuing pursuit of justice and equity, the conversation about reparations has emerged as a critical and transformative dialogue that requires the collective attention and action of Africans, people of African descent, and the wider international community, including state and non-state actors. The scope of this conversation goes beyond historical injustices and into the current fabric of societies worldwide. The complexities of addressing past wrongs, whether they stem from colonialism, transatlantic enslavement, apartheid, or systemic discrimination, necessitate a thorough examination and strategic approach. With this in mind, the African Union (AU) has reaffirmed its commitment to reparatory justice as an imperative for the realization of an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, in line with Agenda 2063. Recent years have seen an acceleration of initiatives seeking justice for Africans and people of African descent. The AU Decision on Reparations for Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade reiterates the continental position on this crucial issue and calls for concerted action at regional and international levels. In August 2022, the Government of Ghana and civil society partner institutions co-organized a historic Africa-Diaspora Summit on Reparations under the theme “Advancing Justice: Reparations and Racial Healing”, resulting in an outcome document known as the Accra Declaration on Reparations and Racial Healing. The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), an organ of the AU, passed a Resolution in November 2022 on Africa’s Reparations Agenda and the Human Rights of Africans in the Diaspora and People of African Descent Worldwide. Notably, this Resolution reaffirmed the 2001 Durban Declaration andProgramme of Action as a comprehensive framework addressing racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, and acknowledged the significance of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) in advancing the recognition, justice, and development of people of African descent worldwide. Acknowledging that the persistent legacies of these injustices present challenges to socio-economic progress and are linked to persistent structural inequalities across the continent and within the African diaspora. Ghana has continued to lead in this area, co-convening with the AU Commission in November 2023, the Accra Reparations Conference, which brought together several Heads of State and Government from Africa and the Caribbean, the United Nations (UN), intergovernmental bodies such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), diaspora, academics, policymakers, activists, and civil society actors, among others. In addition, the conference was a demonstration of the AU’s commitment and renewed effort to advance the cause of reparations, including reparatory justice, and healing for Africans and for all people of African descent. The Secretary-General of the UN has placed paramount importance on reparatory justice for people of African descent, including the reform of international institutions to address the insufficient representation of African countries, and the inadequacy of the financial architecture to address their needs. The principle of reparatory justice is also at the heart of the Secretary-General’s report to the seventy-eighth UN General Assembly on the Implementation of the InternationalDecade for People of African Descent. In this connection, the Secretary-General has recommended that States take a comprehensive approach that seeks to address legacies of the past in order to build societies free from systemic racism and racial discrimination. The Secretary-General further recommended that the approach be participatory, gender-sensitive and inclusive, and should combine a plurality of measures. The announcement of this theme is particularly significant; It coincides with the conclusion of the International Decade for Peopleof African Descent “A/RES/68/237”, which spanned from 2015 to 2024 and the start of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent (2025-2034). Among its initiatives, the African Union and the Africa TransitionalJustice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding in July 2024 to enhance cooperation in areas such as Democratic Governance, Human Rights, Rule of Law, Transitional Justice, Reparatory Justice, and Racial Healing. Moreover, the High Commissioner for Human RightsAgenda towards Transformative Change forRacial Justice and Equality provides recommendations for dismantling systemic racismand confronting the legacies of the past,including through delivering reparatory justice. The High Commissioner has noted that reparatory justice requires a multi-pronged and comprehensive approach, grounded in international human rights law. UN anti-racism human rights mechanisms have also advocated for reparatory justice. The AU’s theme for 2025 builds on these objectives, reinforcing the commitment to achieving justice and equity for African communities on the continent and in the diaspora. The AU has declared “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations” its theme for 2025, which presents an opportunity for the UN Office of the SpecialAdviser on Africa (OSAA) and its partners to advocate through the annual Africa Dialogue Series for justice, as broadly described in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, on delivering peaceful and inclusive societies, and Aspiration 3 of the AU Agenda 2063.

 OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES 

The ADS 2025 will provide a platform for partners and stakeholders to articulate a contemporary understanding of reparatory justice, investigate the effectiveness of current international strategies and frameworks concerning justice for Africans and people of African descent, and advocate for policies to enhance initiatives for justice, financial, environmental, economic, social, etc. As a culmination of the month-long ADS 2025, based on the statements made during the High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) and other elements emanating from the various events and activities of the ADS, a Call to Action will be issued to promote justice for Africans and people of African Descent Through Reparations. The Strategic Objectives of ADS 2025 provide a continental space for dialogue on reparations and justice as enablers of development. They bridge AU institutional processes with continental and global reparatory justice movements. They will foster actionablerecommendations for integrating justice andredress into national development frameworks. They will amplify the voices of African descendants and diaspora in shaping the future of African development trajectories. To achieve these objectives, several key areas of action have been identified. This includes the study of financing mechanisms for reparatory justice, discussions on the return of cultural property and ancestral knowledge, and support for healing and reconciliation initiatives. Particular attention could be paid to strengthening the legal and institutional capacities of African countries for the implementation of reparatory justice policies. 

 Encouraging the integration of the teaching of the history of slavery, colonization, and their lasting impacts into African curricula would be important to foster awareness and a shared collective memory. Exchange and collaboration platforms will be encouraged to facilitate the sharing of experiences and best practices between African and diaspora communities engaged in the struggle for reparatory justice. 

The overall expected outcome of the ADS2025 will be to help position justice (SDG 16) and international human rights standards as the critical overarching global commitment through which the international community should consider its reparatory commitments to Africans and people of African descent.

The 2025 Africa Dialogue Series focuses on justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations, addressing historical injustices and building a more equitable future. Watch the livestream!