ISLAMABAD, Nov 19 (APP/DNA): Algeria will host the International Conference on the Crimes of Colonialism in Africa on 30 November and 1 December 2025, a major continental gathering organized in line with the African Union (AU) Assembly Decision 903(XXXVIII), adopted in February 2025.
The decision endorsed the offer made by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to convene in Algeria a conference dedicated to the celebration and implementation of the AU Theme of the Year 2025: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.” Information shared by the Algerian embassy in Islamabad.
This initiative, according to officials, stems from Algeria’s historic experience as a nation that endured the profound human and material costs of colonialism and continues to champion the dignity, memory, and rights of African peoples.
“Under the leadership of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Algeria is working to strengthen collective reflection and action aimed at criminalizing colonialism, slavery, racial segregation and apartheid as crimes against humanity, in line with the relevant recommendations of the African Union.”
The upcoming conference is expected to gather ministers, jurists, historians, academics, and experts from Africa, the Caribbean and beyond. Its core objective is to help consolidate a unified African position on historical justice, reparations, restitution of cultural heritage, and the preservation of collective memory.
Discussions will span a wide range of themes, covering the human, cultural, economic, environmental and legal consequences of colonial crimes. Particular emphasis will be placed on intergenerational trauma, the destruction and looting of African cultural heritage, exploitation of natural resources, and the inequitable economic systems that persist from the colonial era.
Delegates will also examine environmental impacts, including the legacy of nuclear testing carried out on African populations, and explore legal pathways for strengthening the criminalization of colonialism.
The agenda further includes consideration of a permanent African mechanism dedicated to reparations and restitution.
“As host and initiator, Algeria aims to contribute to strengthening Africa’s architecture for historical justice, by providing a high-level platform to advance international recognition of colonial crimes and promote concrete mechanisms for reparative action.”
A key outcome of the meeting is expected to be the adoption of the Algiers Declaration, envisioned as a continental reference for codifying colonial crimes, recognizing their impacts, and formulating an African strategy for justice and reparations.
The declaration will be submitted to the AU Summit in February 2026 for consideration and potential endorsement.
“Through this initiative, Algeria reaffirms its driving role and decisive contribution within the continent, by supporting African aspirations for justice, reparations, the preservation of historical memory, and the consolidation of a shared identity founded on dignity and the values of justice.”
