Friday, December 1, 2006

UNITED NATIONS, New York: The 192 member countries of the General Assembly of the United Nations have unanimously adopted a resolution put forward by CARICOM member States calling for the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which was outlawed by the British Parliament in 1807.

"As a result of our collective efforts, the resolution adopted by the General Assembly was co-sponsored by more than 150 countries, including the United Kingdom and a majority of the members of the European Union, and was eventually supported by the full membership of the United Nations," said Janil Greenaway, Counsellor in Antigua and Barbuda's Mission to the United Nations.

"I am particularly pleased that our Mission played a key role in ensuring that the resolution sent a strong message to the international community on the importance of the legacy of the slave trade to the socio-economic and cultural realities of our societies," she said.

During the debate on the resolution, the region's Ambassadors told the General Assembly that the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade represents one of the low points in the history of humanity, and the resolution is relevant because it acknowledges that the slave trade and slavery are at the heart of situations of profound social and economic inequality which continue to affect people of African descent today.

"Of particular note were the strong statements by many non-CARICOM countries in support of the resolution," said Gillian Joseph, First Secretary in the Mission.

"Many choose to highlight the importance of bringing international attention and awareness to the legacy of the brutal commercial enterprise that resulted in the uprooting of millions of people from Africa, who were then trafficked across the Atlantic in slave ships under horrific conditions, resulting also in the enrichment of the Colonial empires. Untold numbers died and those who survived the passage were forced into slavery in the Caribbean islands and other parts of the Americas," she said.

Cuba, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, Liberia and Namibia were among those who thanked the CARICOM countries for taking the initiative to bring the 200th anniversary to the attention of the UN General Assembly, and for requesting that the international community appropriately commemorate the event.

With the adoption of the resolution, March 25, 2007 will be celebrated as the "International Day for the Commemoration of the Two-hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade." Additionally, a special meeting of the UN General Assembly will be held on 26 March, 2007 to mark the event.

Among the resolution's main features is a call to countries to undertake activities at the local and national levels to celebrate the event; it also requests the UN Secretary-General to establish a programme of outreach involving countries, civil society and NGOs.

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