International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2026; March 25th.

FORUM: "Justice in Action: Confronting History, Advancing Dignity, Empowering Futures" International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade 2026. The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans was one of the most horrific crimes in human history, brutally dehumanizing more than 15 million men, women and children over 400 years. It robbed individuals of their lives and liberty, and in the centuries that followed, systems of exclusion and discrimination stripped communities of their ability to thrive and prosper. The fallacy of white supremacy was justified by – and entrenched in – institutions, cultures, and legal systems. Acknowledging the painful legacy of the trade in enslaved Africans is essential to repairing these broken systems. Born out of past harms and crimes against humanity, systemic racism and structural injustices must be transformed to heal the wounds of enslavement and build a future of dignity and justice for Afro-descendant communities across the globe. The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans represents one of the most horrific and traumatizing eras in human history. This year’s theme, Justice in Action, calls on the global community to confront this history with honesty and to acknowledge its enduring impact. Advancing dignity requires transforming the systems that perpetuate discrimination and ensuring that the rights of Afro‑descendant communities are protected and upheld. Empowering futures requires expanding opportunities, strengthening participation, and supporting measures that promote repair, inclusion and justice. By translating remembrance into action, we can help build a world where every person can live in equality, dignity and hope. Follow the conversation with the hashtags #Rememberslavery!

EVENTS: On Wednesday, 25 March 2026 at 10:00 a.m. EDT, we will commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2026 at United Nations HQ. The General Assembly will convene its annual plenary meeting wit the President of the 80th Session of the General Assembly, Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock; the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres, a keynote address from Barbados Poet Laureate Ms. Esther Phillips; Toronto's first Youth Poet Laureate Ms. Shahaddah Jack; regional groups and representatives of Member States. The commemoration is a time for reflection. This year marks the 219th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade and the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). It’s a time to reflect on a shameful era. On a brutal system of human trafficking which was built on the myth of white supremacy. Today we remember those who suffered and resisted oppression and we honor them by fighting for equality and justice. Register to participate and watch the livestream!

Statement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (25 March 2026). 

"Today we commemorate the victims of a staggering crime: Millions of people stolen from their families and communities in Africa. Trafficked across the Atlantic. And — if they survived the journey — enslaved in the Americas. Millions more were born into bondage, brutally exploited for their labour, and denied their basic humanity. We honour their quiet resilience and courageous acts of open resistance. This global order prevailed for over 400 years — and haunts our world even now. In systems and institutions shaped and enriched by chattel slavery. In social and economic inequalities rooted in past injustices. And in biases that permeate our culture and impact us all. On this International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we are called to confront these legacies. By rejecting the false narrative of racial difference and the ugly lie of white supremacy. By dismantling racism — online, in the media, in schools, at work, in politics, and within ourselves. And by working for truth, justice, and repair. I welcome the initial steps by some governments to address the consequences of slavery. But far bolder actions — by many more Member States — are needed. Including commitments to respect African countries’ ownership of their own resources. And steps to ensure their equal participation and influence in the global financial architecture and the UN Security Council. Together, let us commit to a world where all people live and thrive in dignity"

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

PLENARY MEETINGS: At UNHQ, On Tuesday, 24 March 2026 at 15:00 a.m. EDT, the General Assembly will convene its annual plenary meeting to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The High-Level Special Event on Reparatory Justice for the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and the Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans. The participantswill discuss reparatory justice for the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans. Watch the livestream!

At UNHQ, On Tuesday, 24 March 2026 starting at 16:00 PM EST. at UNHQ, a Press briefing by AU / Africa Group, led by the Permanent Mission of Ghana to the U.N. was organized on the proposed resolution to be tabled and considered in the GA on Wednesday, 25th March during the GA commemorative event marking the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2026. Watch the press briefing!

PUBLICATIONS: The American Anti-Slavery Society was an abolitionist organization that played a crucial role in spreading abolitionism in the North before the Civil War. In December 1833, delegates from state and local abolition societies gathered in Philadelphia to found an agency to promote a national approach to ending slavery. William Lloyd Garrison, Theodore D. Weld, and the Tappan brothers, Lewis and Arthur, were among the leading figures in this venture. Central to its mission was the doctrine of "immediate emancipation," as opposed to the gradualism espoused by some anti-slavery societies. Looking to spread its ideas across the nation, the society subsidized the printing and distribution of abolitionist tracts, pamphlets, and broadsides, and created a network of agents to carry the message throughout the United States. Read the full publication!

PRESS CONFERENCE: Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity.

Ahead of landmark UN Resolution on the enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity, Ghanaian Ambassador Samuel Yao Kumah said the resolution “does not rank suffering, nor does it attempt to create a legal hierarchy of crimes against humanity.” Speaking on behalf of the African Group at the United Nations, Kumah told reporters in New York that the initiative “did not arise suddenly, nor is it the undertaking of a single mission,” but instead “is the result of a clear continental mandate, grounded in decision, taken at the highest political level of Africa's multilateral institution, the African Union.” He noted that during the 2025 General Assembly general debate, the President of Ghana, John Mahama “announced the country's intention to lead the tabling of a draft resolution on the declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as Gravest Crime Against Humanity.” The resolution, Kumah said, “advances a simple but profound proposition. That trafficking and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans was a world breaking event. The moment when humanity itself was reorganised into a global hierarchy of race, labour, property and capital and helped construct the global economic and racial order whose legacies continue to shape our world today. “ He acknowledged “the concern has been raised that describing the trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity creates a hierarchy among historical atrocities” and said, “the interpretation is misplaced,” as “every atrocity, genocide, apartheid, colonial violence and other crimes recognised under international law remains unequivocally condemned,” and the resolution “simply identifies the historical mechanism that fundamentally restructured the world.” The Ambassador said, “supporting this resolution is not an act of accusation, it is an act of recognition. It is an affirmation that the international community possesses the moral confidence to name historical realities and learn from them.” He said, “the trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans shaped the world we have inherited. Acknowledging this truth honours not only the memory of those who suffered, but also the universal principles of dignity, equality and justice upon which this organisation was founded.” Earlier today, Secretary-General António Guterres addressed a General Assembly event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and said that many of the solutions to confront racial discrimination are being weakened as some governments dismantle anti-racist policies and practices and leaders try to rewrite history.

LIVESTREAM: High-Level Special Event on Reparatory Justice for the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and the Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans
High-level special event, taking place a day before the annual commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, to discuss reparatory justice for the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans

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Meetings & Events

General Assembly: 75th plenary meeting, 80th session - International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Commemorative meeting of the General Assembly to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade Held pursuant to General Assembly resolution A/RES/73/345 of 16 September 2019. The General Assembly will convene its annual plenary meeting to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Speakers will include the President of the 80th Session of the General Assembly, Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock; the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres; a keynote speaker and a youth speaker; regional groups and representatives of Member States.

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade 2023; March 25th.

FORUM: "Fighting slavery’s legacy of racism through transformative education." International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade 2023. 

                        

The enslavement of over 13 million Africans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade was driven by the racist ideology that these women, men and children were inferior because of the colour of their skin. Countless families were torn apart. Scores of human beings lost their lives. Despite experiencing serious human rights violations, and intergenerational trauma over centuries, enslaved people persevered in their resilience, demonstrating courage and defiance against the conditions of enslavement, forced labour, and systemic violence and oppression.

The racist legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade reverberates today in harmful prejudices and beliefs which are still being perpetuated and continue to impact people of African descent across the world. Transformative education, which seeks to empower learners to see the social world critically and through an ethical lens to challenge and change the status quo as agents of change is essential to the work of teaching and learning about slavery in order to end racism and injustice and to build inclusive societies based on dignity and human rights for all people, everywhere.

                            

Statement by António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade 2023; March 25th. 

2023 Theme: “Fighting slavery’s legacy of racism through transformative education” The enslavement of over 13 million Africans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade was driven by the racist ideology that these women, men and children were inferior because of the colour of their skin. Countless families were torn apart. Scores of human beings lost their lives. Despite experiencing serious human rights violations, and intergenerational trauma over centuries, enslaved people persevered in their resilience, demonstrating courage and defiance against the conditions of enslavement, forced labour, and systemic violence and oppression. The racist legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade reverberates today in harmful prejudices and beliefs which are still being perpetuated and continue to impact people of African descent across the world. Transformative education, which seeks to empower learners to see the social world critically and through an ethical lens to challenge and change the status quo as agents of change is essential to the work of teaching and learning about slavery in order to end racism and injustice and to build inclusive societies based on dignity and human rights for all people, everywhere. ------------- Today, we pay tribute to the victims of the transatlantic slave trade. The evil enterprise of enslavement lasted for over 400 years. Millions of African children, women, and men were trafficked across the Atlantic, ripped from their families and homelands – their communities torn apart, their bodies commodified, their humanity denied. The history of slavery is a history of suffering and barbarity that shows humanity at its worst. But it is also a history of awe-inspiring courage that shows human beings at their best – starting with enslaved people who rose up against impossible odds and extending to the abolitionists who spoke out against this atrocious crime. And yet, the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade haunts us to this day. We can draw a straight line from the centuries of colonial exploitation to the social and economic inequalities of today. And we can recognize the racist tropes popularized to rationalize the inhumanity of the slave trade in the white supremacist hate that is resurgent today. It is incumbent on us all to fight slavery’s legacy of racism. The most powerful weapon in our arsenal is education – the theme of this year’s commemoration. By teaching the history of slavery, we help to guard against humanity’s most vicious impulses. By studying the assumptions and beliefs that allowed the practice to flourish for centuries, we unmask the racism of our own time. And by honouring the victims of slavery, we restore some measure of dignity to those who were so mercilessly stripped of it. Today and every day, let us stand united against racism and together build a world in which everyone, everywhere can live lives of liberty, dignity, and human rights.

U.N. Secretary-General.

International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2013

Source: un.org via Christina on Pinterest

Honouring over 15 million victims of slave trade, UN calls for end to slavery.

The annual observance of 25 March as the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade serves as an opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system, and to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today.