25th March — Observed Annually
Introduction
The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans was one of the gravest crimes in history. Millions of men, women and children were violently taken from their homes, denied their humanity, and forced to endure generations of exploitation. The racist ideologies that justified this crime became embedded in institutions and societies, shaping inequalities that continue today.
Every year on 25th March, the United Nations marks one of its most solemn observances: the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It is a day not only of mourning, but of education, reflection, and commitment, a reminder that the struggle against racism and human exploitation did not end with abolition, and that the world must remain vigilant.
How the Day Came About
The Scale of the Crime
To understand why this day was created, one must first confront the sheer enormity of what took place. Over a span of 400 years, between 25 and 30 million people were forcibly uprooted, shackled, and transported from Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas. Many did not survive the journey. Men and women and children were separated from their families, stripped of their identities, and robbed of their freedom. They and their descendants endured generations of brutal servitude.
Between the 16th and 19th centuries, up to 17 million enslaved people were transported against their will from Africa to the Americas. Up to 2.4 million died during the voyage alone. Millions more died soon after their arrival in the New World. Most of the people who were enslaved and transported came from Central and West Africa.
The transatlantic slave trade has been called “the worst violation of human rights in history.”
The Road to a United Nations Observance
In 2006, the United Nations General Assembly, through resolution 61/19, recognised 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 25th March 2007 as the International Day for the Commemoration of the Two-hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
The significance of the date 25th March is rooted in a landmark moment in British and world history. The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed in the United Kingdom on 25th March 1807. From that day on, all dealing and trading in the purchase, sale, barter, or transfer of enslaved persons from any part of Africa was declared to be unlawful. However, while the act abolished the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, it did not abolish slavery itself, which 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 following year, through resolution 62/122, the General Assembly designated 25 March as an annual International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, beginning in 2008. It was first observed in 2008 with the theme “Breaking the Silence, Lest We Forget.”
The Purpose of the Day
Every year on 25th March, the International Day offers the opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. The International Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today. The racist legacy of the transatlantic slave trade reverberates in harmful prejudices and beliefs which are still being perpetuated and continue to impact people of African descent across the world.
As UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stated: “For too long, these unthinkable acts have remained unacknowledged, unspoken, and unaddressed, all as their legacies continue to shape our world. Many still benefit from the odious profits reaped from chattel slavery. Systemic racism has been embedded into institutions, cultures, and legal systems. Deeply rooted exclusion, racial discrimination and violence continue to undermine the ability of many people of African descent to thrive and prosper.”
He has called on the world to put in place reparatory justice frameworks that address this terrible history and its legacies, and to end the evil of racism for good.
Annual Themes
Each year the day is given a fresh theme to focus attention on a particular aspect of the legacy of slavery. Recent themes have included “Justice in Action” (2026), “Acknowledge the Past. Repair the Present. Build a Future of Dignity and Justice” (2025), and in earlier years “Women and Slavery” and “Heroes of Abolition.” The commemoration is a time for reflection on a shameful era, a brutal system of human trafficking built on the myth of white supremacy, and a time to honour those who suffered and resisted oppression.
How the Day is Commemorated
The United Nations General Assembly Plenary
At UN headquarters in New York, the General Assembly convenes its annual plenary meeting to mark the day, with speakers including the President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General, youth representatives, and distinguished guests from the African diaspora.
Education and Outreach
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 educational institutions and civil society organisations, and developed resources and initiatives to educate the public about this dark chapter of history and promote action against racism.
Transformative education, which seeks to empower learners to see the social world critically and through an ethical lens, is essential to the work of teaching and learning about slavery in order to end racism and injustice and to build inclusive societies.
Hundreds of students from secondary schools and universities across the New York area have gathered at the United Nations to tour exhibitions, participate in roundtable discussions with youth speakers, and attend the General Assembly plenary.
Art, Music and Cultural Events
Memorial services and vigils are held for those who died in slavery, and African-American inspired music is performed. Exhibitions of art and poetry inspired during the slave trade era are displayed. Sculpture exhibitions featuring artists from across the African diaspora have been displayed at UN headquarters, honouring the resistance of enslaved Africans and the powerful voices of their descendants.
The Ark of Return: A Permanent Memorial
One of the most powerful outcomes of the observance has been the creation of a permanent physical memorial at the United Nations.
In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to establish a Permanent Memorial in the grounds of the United Nations in New York City to honour the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. In 2011, together with UNESCO, the Permanent Memorial Committee launched a design competition. The Ark of Return, by Haitian-American architect Rodney Leon, was chosen among 310 entries from 83 countries.
The Permanent Memorial was unveiled on 25th March 2015. Located at the Visitors’ Plaza of the UN Headquarters in New York City, it is intended as a permanent reminder of the long-lasting effects of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. It includes three main elements: a large triangular sculpture with a map depicting the triangular slave trade; a prone human figure depicting those who were transported overseas enslaved; and a reflecting pool meant to honour the memory of those who died.
The memorial’s name is drawn from the castle on the island of Gorée, Senegal, where enslaved people were held before being shipped across the ocean.
The three inscriptions on its walls speak with quiet power: Acknowledge the Tragedy. Consider the Legacy. Lest We Forget.
The triangular design of the Ark of Return is inspired by and references the triangular slave trade. The memorial’s form is constructed to reflect the shape of a vessel or ship, acknowledging the fact that physical ships transported millions of African people to the western hemisphere through the perilous transatlantic voyage known as the Middle Passage.
The architect explained: “It makes me feel extremely proud that I can play a role in the commemoration of such an important and historic day. I feel really proud that we have a physical marker and a place of remembrance for this annual celebration to take place moving forward.”
What the United Nations Does to Combat Slavery Today
The day of remembrance is not merely backward-looking. The UN recognises that slavery, in different and modern forms, persists to this day, and has made its eradication a core mission.
The Sustainable Development Goals
The UN General Assembly’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in September 2015, declares a commitment to eradicate forced labour and human trafficking and end child labour in all its forms. This is enshrined in SDG Target 8.7, which commits the global community to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking.
The ILO and Forced Labour
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) plays a central role in the UN’s fight against modern slavery. The ILO’s Forced Labour Convention, the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, and the Forced Labour Protocol aim to advance prevention, protection and compensation measures, as well as to intensify efforts to eliminate contemporary forms of slavery. The Forced Labour Protocol entered into force on 9th November 2016.
Forced labour takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are the most vulnerable, women and girls forced into prostitution, migrants trapped in debt bondage, and workers kept in exploitative conditions by illegal tactics and paid little or nothing.
Alliance 8.7
The ILO coordinates global action among UN agencies and national governments against modern slavery through Alliance 8.7, a multi-stakeholder partnership formed in 2016 that brings together governments, workers, employers, and like-minded organisations to eradicate both forced labour and child labour.
As the UN’s Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery has stated: “It is critical for people to understand that contemporary forms of slavery still exist in our society today. Often the people who are affected are hidden and invisible, working in parts of the informal sector that are hard to identify. If we become more vigilant about the forms of exploitation that exist, we can be more aware and take action. Ending slavery depends on what we do.”
The Special Rapporteur on Slavery
The UN Human Rights Council appointed a Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, whose mandate requires visiting countries to report on whether they are complying with legal obligations to end slavery. The role deals with traditional slavery, forced labour, debt bondage, serfdom, children in slavery, domestic servitude, sexual slavery, and servile forms of marriage.
The UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples Programme
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.
The Living Legacy
As the UN Population Fund has noted: “One of the most horrific crimes in history, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans dehumanised more than 15 million men, women and children for more than four centuries, brutally robbing them of their human rights. Acknowledging the past is an essential step towards repairing the present and building a future of dignity and justice for Afro-descendant communities across the globe.”
On the International Day of Remembrance, the world recalls this history and confronts its legacy, reflecting on the moral urgency of dismantling that legacy, committing to lay the foundations for a more just future, one built upon respect for human dignity and human rights.
The day stands as a testament to the belief that remembrance is not passive. It demands action, in classrooms, in law, in policy, and in the conscience of every individual who believes in the equal dignity of all human beings.
“We will always stand with everyone, everywhere to combat racial discrimination and hate, and to defend the human rights and dignity of all.” — António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
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