Algiers, Algeria – Algeria is hosting an international conference starting today, aimed at forging a unified African position on historical justice. The conference focuses on redress, restitution of cultural property, and the preservation of collective memory. Ministers, legal experts, historians, academics, and specialists from Africa, the Caribbean, and other regions are participating.
The conference, scheduled to conclude tomorrow, December 1st, aligns with decision 903(XXXVIII) of the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit, adopted last February. This decision endorsed Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s initiative to organize a conference dedicated to celebrating and implementing the African Union’s theme for 2025: ‘Justice and Reparations for Africans and People of African Descent’.
This initiative reflects Algeria’s historical commitment to defending the dignity, memory, and rights of African peoples. Under President Tebboune’s leadership, Algeria actively promotes collective reflection and action to criminalize colonialism, slavery, and apartheid as crimes against humanity, in accordance with relevant African Union recommendations.
Through this initiative, Algeria reinforces its pivotal role and contribution within the continent, supporting the aspirations of African peoples for justice, redress, memory preservation, and the promotion of a shared historical identity rooted in dignity and justice. The conference proceedings will address the human, cultural, economic, environmental, and legal dimensions of colonial crimes.
Discussions will center on intergenerational trauma, the plundering and destruction of African cultural heritage, the exploitation of resources, inequitable economic systems inherited from the colonial era, and environmental impacts, including nuclear testing targeting African populations. Furthermore, the conference will explore legal pathways to strengthen the criminalization of colonialism and establish a permanent African mechanism for reparations.
The anticipated ‘Algiers Declaration’ is expected to serve as a continental reference point and a strategic framework for Africa in the pursuit of justice and redress.
