COTONOU, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Benin's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday evening issued a statement welcoming a United Nations General Assembly resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade a crime of extreme gravity against humanity.
According to the statement, the resolution was adopted on March 25, 2026. Benin, a co-sponsor of the resolution, expressed its full and unequivocal support, describing the move as an important step toward historical justice and remembrance.
The ministry said that, as a country deeply marked by the painful legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, Benin considers recognition of this crime central to its national identity. It stressed that the slave trade and the racialized enslavement of Africans constituted a profound violation of human dignity, and that acknowledging this history is a duty of truth while addressing its consequences is a matter of justice.
The statement also highlighted concrete measures taken by Benin. In July 2024, the country adopted a law granting Beninese nationality to people of African descent, offering Afro-descendant communities a pathway to reconnect with their roots.
Benin reaffirmed its commitment to promoting the voice of African and Afro-descendant peoples in multilateral forums and to preserving the memory of the transatlantic slave trade, so that such tragedies will never recur. ■