Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, also known as DJ Cuppy, visits the Ark of Return at UN Headquarters. The memorial invites people everywhere to contemplate the legacy of the slave trade and to fight against racism and prejudice today.
Photo:UN Photo/Mark Garten

This day is about remembering the past and taking action today

The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, which operated between the fifteenth and late nineteenth centuries, involved the horrific trafficking of millions of women, men and children, mostly from West Africa to the Americas. This forced displacement enriched imperial and other powers. It also gave rise to false narratives of white supremacy and racial inferiority, which were used to justify this shameful practice and which continue to plague our societies today. Because the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans had a direct effect on our modern conceptions of race, an understanding of this period is necessary to fight its legacies, including racism and prejudice. The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is, therefore, not just about remembering the past. It is about taking action today to dismantle the structures that continue to hold back people of African descent.

This day is about education

The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is a time for reflection. But it is also a time for education. Despite myths to the contrary, enslaved Africans enriched the Americas not just through their labour but also through a transfer of vital skills and knowledge. In addition, rather than accepting their fate, they engaged in powerful acts of resistance. The United Nations works to highlight such stories through its Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, which is managed by the Department of Global Communications, and the Routes of Enslaved Peoples Project, which is run by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

How did this day come about?

In 2006, the United Nations General Assembly, through resolution 61/19, recognized that “the slave trade and slavery are among the worst violations of human rights in the history of humanity, bearing in mind particularly their scale and duration” and designated 25 March 2007 as the International Day for the Commemoration of the Two-hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The following year, through resolution 62/122, it designated 25 March as an annual International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, beginning in 2008.

Why 25 March?

The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed in the United Kingdom on 25 March 1807. From that day on, “all manner of dealing and reading in the purchase, sale, barter, or transfer of slaves or of persons intending to be sold, transferred, used, or dealt with as slaves, practiced or carried in, at, or from any part of the coast or countries of Africa shall be abolished, prohibited and declared to be unlawful”. However, while the act abolished the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, it did not abolish slavery, which still continued for decades. The abolition followed powerful and sustained acts of resistance by enslaved Africans, including the Haitian revolution, which led to the establishment in 1804 of the Republic of Haiti – the first nation to become independent as a result of the struggle of enslaved women and men.

The Ark of Return

 

The Permanent Memorial was unveiled on 25 March 2015, which marks the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Visitors can pass through the Ark of Return to intimately experience the extreme conditions under which millions of African people were transported during the Middle Passage. 

Events

2024 Calendar of Events at UN Headquarters

 

30th anniversary of UNESCO Programme

UNESCO 2024 celebrations

 

In 2024, the Routes of Enslaved Peoples Programme celebrates its 30th anniversary. Activities are organized throughout the year by UNESCO, its Member States and its partners. See 2024 Calendar activities

Resources

 

The Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery was established in 2007. Over the years, the Programme has established a global network of partners, including from educational institutions and civil society, and developed resources and initiatives to educate the public about this dark chapter of history and promote action against racism.

Since its launch in 1994, the UNESCO "Routes of Enslaved Peoples: Resistance, Liberty and Heritage" Programme has contributed to the production of innovative knowledge, the development of high-level scientific networks and the support of memory initiatives on the theme of slavery, its abolition and the resistance it generated.

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.