General Assembly Session 62 meeting 75

The Acting President

I now give the floor to the representative of the Bahamas to introduce draft resolution A/62/L.32.

Ms. Bethel (Bahamas)

The member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) at the United Nations, along with the sponsors, are pleased to introduce for adoption today the draft resolution contained in document A/62/L.32, entitled "Permanent Memorial to and Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade". We thank Botswana, which signed on behalf of the African Group, as well as other States Members of the United Nations, for their co-sponsorship in support of this important draft resolution.

I would like at this point also to name the other countries that have since signed up as co-sponsors of the draft resolution but are not listed on the text itself. Those countries are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Singapore, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, the Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand and Turkey. We thank all of them.

The draft resolution before us today, which essentially is procedural in nature, is twofold in its focus. First, it highlights an idea first emanating from CARICOM arising from the 26 March plenary meeting of the General Assembly in commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade and endorsed by the Council on Foreign and Community Relations of CARICOM for the establishment of a permanent memorial, to be prominently placed in the halls of the United Nations, to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

The permanent memorial will stand as an acknowledgement of one of the most horrific tragedies of modern history, often forgotten, and as a reminder of the struggle and triumph over the enslavement and dehumanization of a single race over four centuries for economic gain, and the legacy it has left behind. Its placement at the United Nations will be a significant symbol of what the United Nations represents -- the promotion and preservation of the dignity and worth of all human beings, which is an integral provision of and central to the United Nations Charter.

The establishment of the permanent memorial will significantly serve as a tangible contribution by the international community to partially implement paragraph 101 of the Durban Declaration, which, inter alia, invites the international community to honour the memory of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

The draft resolution recognizes the establishment of a fund -- the permanent memorial fund -- which has been set up under the custody of the permanent mission of Jamaica towards the realization of the memorial. It acknowledges with appreciation contributions received thus far from Member States, while also inviting other interested parties to contribute as well.

The draft resolution also seeks to designate 25 March as an annual international day of remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, beginning in 2008. The significance of that date is of historic importance, recalling 200 years ago on that date the ultimate concession to the abolition advocates as their untiring efforts finally led to the passage of the act in the British Parliament calling for the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade in the British Empire, which served as an important trigger for the end if the heinous act of slavery all over the world. That date was also recognized during the sixty-first session by this Assembly as the International Day for the Commemoration of the Two-hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The proposed annual remembrance day, linked to the accomplishment of the abolitionists, will serve as a valuable complement to the existing UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, whose date of 23 August aptly recognizes the historic important contribution of the slaves themselves, who rose up in resistance to slavery and engineered their own emancipation in our CARICOM sister country, Haiti.

Racism, racial discrimination and prejudice continue to cast a destructive stain and shadow on societies across the globe. The roots and linkages with slavery and the transatlantic slave trade are clearly established. The work being pursued in the context of UNESCO through the Slave Route Project will help to address the ignorance and knowledge gap in understanding the impact and consequences of slavery and the slave trade.

By adopting the draft resolution, the General Assembly would request the Secretary-General, in collaboration with and building upon the work undertaken by UNESCO, to establish a programme of outreach to mobilize, inter alia, educational institutions and civil society in order to inculcate future generations with the causes, consequences and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade and to inform of the dangers of racism and prejudice.

The General Assembly, by its adoption of this important draft resolution, hopefully by consensus, would undertake in a unique, unprecedented and powerful way to memorialize the victims of slavery and the horrific transatlantic slave trade, while recognizing its continuing impact on the descendants of the slave trade and the African diaspora, many of whom are in this Assembly today. It will, in a practical and deliberate way, engage in a programme of educational outreach with a view to addressing the dangers of racism and prejudice that continue to threaten the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms today.

The Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, in his report to the Third Committee just a few weeks ago, confirmed what we already know about new and persistent challenges in the fight against racism. We as Member States must employ all strategies at our disposal to combat that scourge from all ends, seek to correct historical injustices, and bring atonement as a part of the struggle against the ills of the past.

Last Friday, CARICOM, in association with the Department of Public Information (DPI) and supporting Member States, brought to the United Nations a rare celebration of the culture and diversity of the African diaspora in a cultural event held in the Trusteeship Council Chamber. We express our deep appreciation to the permanent missions of the Netherlands and Spain for their support, as well as to DPI for its role in facilitating the cultural exposé. That was an important finale to the commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary, which CARICOM is proud to have initiated. We express our heartfelt thanks to all present for their overwhelming support.

The States members of CARICOM once again thank the many sponsors and supporters of the draft resolution and now call upon the General Assembly to give its unequivocal support to its adoption as a successful conclusion to a process begun last year in this very Hall.

Mr. Wolfe (Jamaica)

Jamaica join its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partners in welcoming the General Assembly's consideration of agenda Item 119, entitled "Commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade", together with the report of the Secretary-General submitted in accordance with General Assembly resolution 61/19.

My delegation is very proud to align itself with the statement made by Ms. Paulette Bethel, Permanent Representative of the Bahamas, in her capacity as chair of the caucus of the CARICOM group of permanent representatives and on behalf of the sponsors of draft resolution A/62/L.32, entitled "Permanent Memorial to and Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade".

My delegation fully supports the draft resolution, which would, inter alia, have the international community give tangible expression, in an appropriately noble, dignified and yet practical manner, to the implementation of paragraph 101 of the Declaration of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, aimed at countering the legacy of slavery and contributing to the restoration of the dignity of the victims of slavery and the slave trade.

Accordingly, the draft resolution would have the General Assembly welcome and indeed support and endorse the initiative of the States members of the Caribbean Community, supported by other Member States, to erect in the halls of the United Nations a permanent memorial under the theme "Acknowledging the tragedy, considering the legacy, lest we forget".

Jamaica and its CARICOM partners believe that this would be a tangible, fitting monument to the memory of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery. It also represents a unique opportunity for the international community to honour the memory of the victims in this symbolic United Nations building, which represents the hopes, collective aspirations and ideals of the entire world community, as reflected in the United Nations Charter.

It is therefore against that backdrop that we would urge all delegations to consider the profound significance of the draft resolution, which seeks to honour and restore some level of dignity to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, when taking into account any other attendant considerations relevant to the adoption of the draft resolution.

As we review the state of our world today, it appears abundantly evident that the tragic legacy and consequences of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade remain with us, especially the continued political, social and economical impact.

In remembrance of the victims, we are also deciding on establishing an international day for the remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade and, in that regard, the draft resolution seeks to galvanize the firm resolve of the international community that such horrific acts, which so dehumanized the victims and stripped them of their dignity, spirit and self-worth, should never be forgotten or allowed to recur, for the benefit of future generations.

It is precisely for that reason that the draft resolution requests the Secretary-General, in collaboration with and building upon the work undertaken by UNESCO, to establish a programme of educational outreach to mobilize, inter alia, educational institutions and civil society on the subject of remembering the transatlantic slave trade and slavery. As indicated in the draft resolution, the main purpose is to inculcate future generations with the causes, consequences and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade and to inform of the dangers of racism and slavery.

The programme of educational outreach, as contemplated in the draft resolution, and which is indeed of critical importance to its implementation, should not present any significant budgetary implications beyond that approved by the General Assembly for other similar events and programmes.

My delegation would also like to emphasize that, rather than seeking to impose any burden on the regular budget of the United Nations, CARICOM member States have in fact moved to establish a voluntary fund, called the permanent memorial fund, under Jamaica's custody, for the permanent memorial. In that regard, we join in expressing sincere appreciation to those Member States which have already contributed to the fund and invite other interested representatives to do so, as outlined in paragraph 2 of the draft resolution.

Beyond the adoption of the draft resolution, my delegation looks forward with keen anticipation to the establishment of a committee and a board of governors, representative of the membership of the United Nations, to advance the initiative for the construction of the permanent memorial, including discussions on a possible design, as well as the management and oversight of the permanent memorial fund.

In conclusion, my delegation joins our sister CARICOM partners and other sponsors in urging the Assembly to support draft resolution A/62/L.32 and to adopt it by consensus.

Mrs. Núñez Mordoche (Cuba)

The transatlantic trade in African slaves represented one of the most sordid, heartbreaking and bloody chapters in modern history. It is clear that the tragedies of slavery and the slave trade were crimes against humanity. While it is estimated that the slave trade affected 15 million to 28 million Africans between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, there are even gloomier estimates of up to twice that number.

The insatiable lust for profit on the part of European slave traders and the limitless greed of nascent capitalism created a need for slave labour to build the great colonial empires of the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The slave trade was driven principally by the commercial needs of European countries. The various areas involved in that business were important players in the industrial and commercial revolution. Many of the most important European cities, from Liverpool to Amsterdam and other well-known urban areas, achieved their great economic development as a result of the trade.

In Cuba, that reality has left deep physical marks in the form of old sugar mills, coffee plantations, slave quarters and other structures that remain in our countryside, some of them already blended into our natural landscape. As part of the cruel trade, approximately 1.3 million slaves from the African continent arrived on our island. The arrival of Lukumí, Carabalies, Congos, Gangas, Minas, Bibies, Yorubas and other ethnic groups had an immediate impact on the colonial society of the time and, through a complex transcultural process, gave rise to the Cuban nationality, which is essentially an Hispanic-African mixture.

However, many of the slaves brought by force did not resign themselves to being exploited. Those who decided to run away from the whips of the foremen and the humiliation of the plantations embodied the principle of the spirit of rebellion and emancipation of the Cuban people. In Cuba today, the runaway slave and the hiding place are symbols of an entire people's struggle for its independence and sovereignty.

Referring to the slave trade histories similar to that of Cuba were repeated virtually throughout the American continent and the Caribbean. The slave route was an intrinsic part of the brutal exploitation and impoverishment of the African continent and the cruel discrimination suffered for many years by the descendants of slaves in the western hemisphere. Nor can there be any doubt that colonialism led to racism and racial discrimination or that the suffering caused by colonialism must be condemned.

For all those reasons, at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban in 2001 and in which nearly all those present in this Hall participated, we acknowledged that the historical injustices of the slave trade, slavery and colonialism contributed to the poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, social exclusion and economic disparities suffered throughout the world, particularly in developing countries.

Nevertheless, today we see with astonishment that many of those who promoted and benefited from the affront of slavery ignore, justify or, worse yet, try to erase the sad chapter in the history of humanity represented by the slave trade and slavery. These are the same countries that seek to set themselves up as judges of everyone, while remembering little or nothing about the crimes that they themselves committed. Those who built their vast fortunes on the sweat and blood of slaves and mired our nations in the disastrous consequences of monoproduction and monoculture cannot now wash their hands of their dark past through historical amnesia.

It is neither moral nor ethical that those who live in opulence thanks in part to slavery now oppose any formula, no matter how simple, aimed at ensuring that the former colonial cities honour their historical debt to those who suffered slavery for centuries. This is occurring in the midst of neoliberal globalization, in which the rich -- the same people as those in former times -- are increasingly rich and our nations are relegated to exclusion and impoverishment.

Cuba supports the demand being made to the States concerned that they take effective measures to halt and reverse the enduring consequences of the horrendous crime of slavery and to fulfil their moral obligation in that regard. Although at the Durban Conference we achieved an initial rapprochement and a critical assessment of slavery and colonialism as crimes against humanity committed throughout history, we consider this an appropriate time to stress that we must still go further in examining those issues. That is why we also fully support draft resolution A/62/L.32, submitted by the Caribbean Community.

Cuba, despite the fact that it is being subjected to a tight blockade and defamatory campaigns, will continue its cooperation programmes with African, Caribbean and other third world nations as part of the effort to reverse the consequences of the slave trade and other sad chapters in the history of colonialism and neo-colonialism. Since 1961, Cuba has provided cooperation to 154 countries. In our cooperation programmes, more than 270,000 civilian volunteers have provided services, mainly in the areas of health care and education.

We Cubans will continue to study and preserve the legacy of those who, despite hard labour on the sugar and coffee plantations, left us their language, their religious beliefs, their music and temperament and their spirit of struggle for independence and sovereignty, and who changed us forever.

Mr. Edrees (Egypt)

I should like at the outset to thank the members of the Caribbean Community for introducing the draft resolution adopted in the last session (resolution 61/19) to commemorate 25 March 2007 as the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. I also wish to thank them for their initiative at the present session to make that date an annual international occasion to honour the memory of the victims of slavery throughout the world and to teach the lessons learned from the transatlantic slave trade and the dangers of racism and discrimination.

As history shows, the practices of the era of slavery resulted in the loss of approximately 3 million lives during the journey across the Atlantic -- the infamous "middle passage" -- in utterly inhumane circumstances, while the 12 million who survived fell captive to servitude and racism. For generations -- in the New World indeed, to this very day -- the historic injustice visited upon the innocent has caused social and psychological problems for their descendants, not to mention racial prejudices that still hinder the ability of some societies to progress and to attain total integration.

Undoubtedly, the African continent has borne the greatest burden, having been deprived throughout long centuries of its finest youth and having suffered from the continuous and illegal exploitation of its natural resources. Moreover, such exploitation is organically linked to the fuelling of armed conflict and the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons, thereby contributing to instability, poverty, endemic diseases and marginalization in the global economy that many of the African countries are facing today.

These conditions have inhibited the ability of the African countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015, especially when developed countries' repeated pledges, action plans and partnerships aimed at helping Africa to realize its economic aspirations -- such as the commitment to set aside 0.7 per cent of their gross national income for developmental assistance -- remain unfulfilled.

Regrettably, because of the scourge of slavery, humanity has suffered a myriad of social ills that were too often related to colour, race, belief or religion. Despite the international community's sincere efforts to implement the Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, despite the steps taken to follow up on the Durban Declaration of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, and despite the progress made towards achieving the universality of the various international covenants on human rights, we still witness the expansion of new forms of slavery and racism. These include forced labour, mandatory recruitment in armed conflicts, human trafficking and sexual exploitation, as well as incitement to xenophobia and religious defamation.

Clearly, this situation runs counter to the world's growing need to rely on the diversity of civilization, culture and religion to heal the wounds that arose from this dreadful era in human history and to promote understanding, tolerance and the achievement of the common interests of different societies, regardless of their background.

In order to respond to these serious negative phenomena, the international community must redouble its efforts to eliminate the modern effects of historical racial slavery, namely xenophobia and religious prejudice, as it seeks to consolidate the principles of democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. These objectives should be pursued in a spirit of cooperation, mutual respect and commitment to the principle of equal rights and obligations, not to mention the principles of international law and the complementarity of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

Accordingly, as we prepare for the upcoming Durban Review Conference in 2009, we must work on strengthening the complementarity of standards contained in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. These steps should be taken in order to restore the faltering trust between the countries of the North and South in the area of racial discrimination. Also required are intensified efforts to develop international machinery for controlling and combating human trafficking and other new forms of slavery, and to encourage States to enact national legal frameworks for curbing the growth of new racist trends. This should be accomplished through enhanced dialogue, mutual understanding and enlightened education, within a framework of partnership and cooperation among non-governmental organizations, the private sector and the wide spectrum of civil society.

Moreover, at the same time, we must deal with the issue of migration in a comprehensive and serious manner by, inter alia, placing migrants' rights on an equal footing with those of other citizens in the receiving countries and by curbing discrimination and racism. Our attempt to encourage freedom of the media should also be matched by prohibiting attacks on the religions, prophets and cultural characteristics of the faithful of other religions. Clear-cut boundaries should be established between freedom of expression as enshrined in international instruments and national legislation, on the one hand, and infringement on the freedom of belief, on the other hand. In this way, we can achieve our goal of eliminating racism and hatred based on religion, origin, ethnicity or culture.

It is high time that, through vigorous international action, we confront the proliferation of racism and discrimination of every stripe and from any source. Furthermore, while intensifying its efforts to comprehensively and seriously eliminate the scourge of racism, the international community must strive to maintain the necessary balance between the rights and the duties adopted and proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Acting President

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item. We shall now proceed with the consideration of draft resolution A/62/L.32. In connection with the draft resolution, I now give the floor to the representative of the Secretariat.

Mr. Botnaru (Department for General Assembly and Conference Management)

I would like to inform members that, in connection with draft resolution A/62/L.32, entitled "Permanent Memorial to and Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade", I wish to put on record the following statement of financial implications on behalf of the Secretary-General, in accordance with rule 153 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly.

Under the terms of operative paragraphs 3 and 4 of the draft resolution, the General Assembly would decide

"to designate 25 March as an annual International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, beginning in 2008, as a complement to the existing United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition",

and would request the Secretary-General,

"in collaboration with and building upon the work undertaken by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, including its Slave Route Project, to establish a programme of educational outreach to mobilize, inter alia, educational institutions and civil society on the subject of remembering the transatlantic slave trade and slavery, in order to inculcate future generations with the causes, consequences and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade and to communicate the dangers of racism and prejudice".

Pursuant to operative paragraph 4 of the draft resolution, it is envisaged that various public information activities would be undertaken, including online dissemination of information relating to the current anti-slavery efforts and other materials in the six official languages of the United Nations, and exhibits at the various United Nations information centres. Should the General Assembly adopt draft resolution A/62/L.32, it is estimated that the implementation of operative paragraph 4 would involve additional public information resources in the total amount of $43,800 under section 27, Public Information, of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2008-2009.

Although provisions have not been included under section 27, "Public information", of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2008-2009, to implement the activities as envisaged under paragraph 4 of the draft resolution, it is anticipated that the requirements could be met from within the resources proposed under that section for the biennium 2008-2009. Accordingly, no additional appropriations will be required.

The Acting President

The Assembly will now take action on draft resolution A/62/L.32 entitled "Permanent Memorial to and Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade".

Before proceeding to take action on draft resolution A/62/L.32, I should like to announce that, since its introduction, the following countries have become sponsors: the Dominican Republic, Fiji, France, Greece, Mali, Panama, Paraguay and Ukraine.

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to adopt draft resolution A/62/L.32?

The Acting President

Before giving the floor to speakers in explanation of vote, may I remind delegations that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.

I now give the floor to those representatives who wish to explain their position on the resolution just adopted.

Mr. Yamaguchi (Japan)

The Government of Japan joined in the consensus adoption of resolution 62/122 because of the importance of commemorating the abolition of the slave trade, which was and is a grievous violation of human rights.

Japan expects that efforts will be made to ensure that any programmes that are developed or promoted in connection with the new International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade complement and reinforce those of the existing UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition and the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.

Ms. Pierce (United Kingdom)

With your permission, Sir, I should like to make a general statement.

The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of the resolution on the permanent memorial to and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. It is fitting that, as we close the year marking the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, the General Assembly once again acknowledges the horrors of slavery and the slave trade. We have a duty to ensure that those horrors and their victims are never forgotten.

For that reason, my Government warmly welcomes the initiative of the Caribbean Community to establish a permanent memorial to the victims of the transatlantic slave trade at the United Nations. The United Kingdom has already pledged to support the memorial, and I should like to take this opportunity today to encourage others to do likewise.

The United Kingdom Government Minister Margaret Hodge said last week that "understanding the slave trade and its legacy is vital to broadening our history and recognition of the challenges we still face as a society today". Through the resolution adopted today, the United Nations gains a dedicated day each year to remember the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. That will provide us all with an opportunity in future years not only to remember those victims, but also to remind ourselves of the lessons of tolerance, respect and human dignity that the victims of slavery throughout the ages have taught us all and the lessons we can also learn from the campaign for the abolition of the slave trade. I should like in that context also to highlight the issue of human trafficking, which so tragically persists today.

Those lessons, as the resolution points out, will complement the work done by UNESCO. They are enshrined in the UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, which takes place on 23 August each year. As part of the United Kingdom Government's own commitment to that work in this bicentenary year, we have announced that in future years national activities to remember the valuable lessons of the bicentenary will be held to coincide with the UNESCO Day. We are committed to ensuring that the educational, cultural and historical focus of this bicentenary year is carried forward in the future, just as we are committed to remembering the victims of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery throughout the ages with the international community each year on 25 March.

The Acting President

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 119?