UNGA 80: Treat migrants with dignity – Mahama

President John Mahama has made an impassioned appeal for global compassion, equity, and recognition of Africa’s historic injustices.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, September 25, the President called for an end to persistent acts of cruelty that have increasingly been normalised.

“We cannot normalise cruelty. We cannot normalise hatred. We cannot normalise xenophobia and racism,” Mr Mahama declared, urging world leaders to embrace truth over euphemism when addressing migration, racism, and human rights abuses.

He personalised the migrant story by citing inspiring examples of Africans who thrived abroad, including U.S. Judge Mamee Ewusi Mensah Frimpong, Ghanaian-Slovenian mayor Peter Bosman, designer T. Michael, and the late UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. “These are not invaders. These are not criminals,” Mahama emphasized.

Recalling the harrowing words of Somali-British poet Warsan Shire, he reminded leaders: “No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.” He linked forced migration to climate change, noting that while the global north emits 75% more greenhouse gases, the global south bears the brunt of desertification, rising seas, and displacement.

Mr Mahama also announced Ghana’s intention to table a UN motion declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the greatest crime against humanity”.

He demanded reparations for slavery and colonial exploitation, including the return of looted African artefacts. “We must demand reparations for the enslavement of our people and the colonisation of our land that resulted in the theft of our natural resources,” he said.

Beyond history, Mr Mahama warned that present inequalities risk tearing societies apart. He lamented steep global cuts in humanitarian aid—down 40% since July 2024—even as defence budgets rise. “Africa must exercise sovereignty over its natural resources to ensure the well-being of its citizens,” he argued.

Framing the UN as today’s “global town square”, Mr Mahama stressed the importance of protecting it from disinformation and division amplified by social media. “These platforms offer us the illusion of connectivity, when in fact what they do is reinforce isolation,” he said.