African and Caribbean nations have outlined a plan for reparatory justice as they demand apologies from countries that participated in the transatlantic slave trade. Representatives from the nations gathered in Accra, Ghana, on Friday at the High-Level Consultative Conference on the Next Steps to the Landmark United Nations Resolution on the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans to approve a 19-point framework for reparations, The Guardian reported.

What is outlined in the framework for reparations?

The reparations framework calls on “all state and non-state institutions” that have not yet provided justice for the transatlantic slave trade to do so. According to the document, those institutions must “offer full, formal and unconditional apologies as a foundational step towards reconciliation, trust-building and reparatory justice.”

“We recognize and honor the extensive efforts undertaken over generations by several governments, intergovernmental organizations, our forebearers, individuals and civil society partners across Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, as well as in Europe and Asia in shaping the global reparations agenda,” the document states.

“We adopt this document as a basis for global collaboration and commit to engaging in transparent, constructive and good faith dialogue in advancing reparations and reparatory justice among all state and non-state actors.”

Ruth Ogbewekon, who led the project on reparatory justice at the Pan African Lawyers Union, said the framework was developed with officials from Africa, the African diaspora and non-African allies.

“Ultimately, it was a process where people wanted to be heard and to see that they were heard, and the events in Accra provided that,” Ogbewekon said, per The Guardian.

Ghana hosts slave trade reenactment during Juneteenth observance

As leaders gathered in Accra to advance their reparations efforts, the city also hosted a reenactment depicting the transatlantic slave trade, Al Jazeera reported.

The event took place near a fortress in Accra on Juneteenth. The site was one of the locations connected to the transatlantic slave trade and served as a backdrop for the commemoration.