UN rights chief urges states to act on slavery reparations

GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations human rights chief called for countries to take concrete steps on reparations for people of African descent at a U.N. meeting on Friday, adding his voice to calls for justice for slavery atrocities. Support is building among Africa and Caribbean nations for the creation of a tribunal to address reparations, which might include financial payments and other amends, for crimes dating back to the transatlantic trade of enslaved people. “I join your demands for action now,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in an address at the closing of the four-day U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD). “On reparations, we must finally enter a new era. Governments must step up to show true leadership with genuine commitments to move swiftly from words to action that will adequately address the wrongs of the past.” Turk, who supports the forum but is not one of its 10 members, did not specifically say how reparations should be addressed. While the idea of paying reparations has gained traction, it remains divisive and has not been accepted by most former colonial powers. The Netherlands has apologised for its role in the transatlantic...