Anti-corruption activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has reacted to how some countries may approach Ghana’s resolution at the United Nations, warning that abstentions could carry lasting meaning.
He highlighted Western Europe as a bloc to watch, suggesting many countries may avoid voting against the resolution but choose not to support it either.
“They will not vote no… but an abstention is its own answer,” he said.
Barker-Vormawor added that such decisions would not go unnoticed.
“Every country that… says nothing, that silence will echo,” he noted, pointing to the historical links between some nations and the slave trade.
He also turned attention to the Caribbean, describing the vote as a test of unity.
According to him, any division within that bloc could weaken long-standing arguments for reparatory justice.
Despite these concerns, he expressed hope that fewer countries would abstain than expected.
“I hope I am wrong about the abstentions,” he said, urging delegates to consider the historical weight of their decisions.
“History is taking names… Fear delegates,” he concluded.
