President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has commended President John Mahama and Ghanaians for their leadership in advancing the global reparatory justice agenda.

President Lula made the remarks during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he referenced the landmark UN declaration recognising the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the “gravest crime against humanity”.

The declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly on March 25, 2026, following a Ghana-led initiative championed by President Mahama.

The resolution also called for inclusive dialogue on reparatory justice and recognised the need to address the lasting consequences of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

In his address, President Lula praised the significance of the General Assembly’s decision, describing it as a correction of a historical distortion.

“This General Assembly recently corrected a historical distortion in the world map. It recognised the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity,” he said.

He added that the international community must now move beyond recognition and focus on issues that are critical to humanity’s future.

“It approves a more accurate representation of the world map. Now, it needs to focus on issues crucial for the future of humanity. We are called to choose between multilateralism or unilateralism, democracy or extremism, sovereignty or subordination,” President Lula stated.

“These choices require courage, political will, and clarity of objectives. This is what we expect from a statesman.”

President Lula’s remarks come as Ghana continues to push for further action following the adoption of the UN declaration.

The resolution, formally titled the Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime against Humanity, was adopted by the General Assembly as Resolution 80/250.

It declares the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity and calls on member states to engage in dialogue on reparatory justice.

President Mahama had announced Ghana’s intention to introduce the resolution during his address to the UN General Assembly in September 2025. Ghana subsequently led the initiative on behalf of the African Group, securing its adoption in March 2026.

The development has since been followed by efforts to translate the UN declaration into practical measures. In June 2026, Ghana hosted a high-level conference on reparatory justice in Accra, where participants discussed the next steps for advancing the global reparations agenda.

Brazil has been among the countries supporting Ghana’s initiative. President Lula had earlier announced Brazil’s full support for the Ghana-led resolution during the CELAC-Africa Summit in Bogotá, Colombia, ahead of the UN vote.