I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the fourteen (14) Member States of the Caribbean Community.

We express our sincere appreciation to the President of the General Assembly, Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock, for convening this important commemorative meeting to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.  

We also thank the high-level speakers for their contributions this morning and further take this opportunity to recognize Ms. Esther Phillips, First Poet Laureate of Barbados, a daughter of our own region.

We acknowledge the presence of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic Ghana, and have taken note of the perspectives shared in his statement. We commend the Ghanaian delegation for the General Assembly initiative which it has led, on behalf of the African Union, on the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans.

The theme for this year’s meeting - “Justice in Action: Confronting history, Advancing Dignity, Empowering Futures” - is apt since it reflects our collective responsibility to pursue and contribute to true advancement, development and justice for people of African descent.

Madame President,

Today, we pay tribute to the more than 15 million African men, women and children who were forcibly captured and trafficked from their homeland, across the Atlantic and into the Americas. On arrival in the Americas, they were subjugated to the brutal and horrific system of chattel enslavement by plantation owners and stripped of their dignity and rights for four hundred years. We continue to lament the immense losses engendered by this horrific crime against humanity, including the loss of intangible cultural heritage such as language and religion.  

We also pay tribute to the millions who died on the journey through the Middle Passage as a result of the unspeakable conditions to which they were subjected, and to those who chose death over a life of bondage.

The Ark of Return, the Permanent Memorial to Honour the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade here at the United Nations Headquarters, stands as a solemn reminder of these atrocities, their enduring legacies and the responsibility we bear to confront them with honesty and resolve.

CARICOM believes it imperative to shed light on the past, as a way of not only acknowledging history and truth, but also confronting it and understanding its continuing implications, though many decades have passed. We, therefore, remain strong advocates of comprehensive education and awareness to improve knowledge and understanding of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.  

Madame President,  

We use this occasion to also pay homage to our forebearers, who resisted oppression and fought for their freedom and rights. Their victory over their colonial oppressors paved the way for the exercise of the right to self-determination and for us to develop our free societies and our people. Their uprisings, revolutions and resistance movements changed the course of history, championing, in the face of oppression, their conviction that human rights and dignity belong not to a select few, but to all.  

The Transatlantic Slave Trade constituted a crime against humanity and has left behind deep and persistent wounds in our societies.  

A significant number of the citizens of CARICOM Member States are people of African descent. Today, the legacies of this brutal era continue to manifest in our lives and societies, contributing to factors that drive high national debt, persistent poverty, psychological and generational trauma, health challlenges and certain social ills.

Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade also ingrained in societies across the world, the false doctrines and ideas of racial superiority, entrenching the scourge of racism and racial discrimination against Africans and people of African descent, which remains one of the most egregious legacies of this period. This year, as we commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, we do so in acknowledgement of the persistent challenges we face in eradicating racism and racial discrimination across the globe. Member States must work collectively  to address this problem.

If not meaningfully addressed, the legacies of the Transatlantic Slave Trade will continue to hinder the progress of people of African descent across the world. We have a responsibility to ensure that people of African descent are not left behind.

Madame President,

CARICOM’s call for reparatory justice is firmly grounded in the region’s Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice, which elaborates a pathway to securing justice for victims of crimes against humanity, the atrocities and exploitation of colonialism and the enduring legacies thereof.  

In our quest to advance dignity and empower futures, CARICOM maintains the call for Member States to boldly confront the legacies of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and to take action in accordance with the region’s Ten-Point Plan, as a meaningful way to remedy the historical injustices of this period and its associated ills. The region is keen to partner with the wider membership to take forward its just demands.

Those who profited from the slave trade are known and continue to benefit from the ill-gotten gains of a system of oppression; while those who are descendants of the victims continue to shoulder the deleterious effects of a brutal and unjust system.

CARICOM welcomes the proclamation of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent and looks forward to the updating of the programme of activities for the second decade. We see the new decade as an important opportunity to advance discussions on reparations under the auspices of the United Nations.  

We remain committed to good faith dialogue among all concerned States and will continue to advocate for the realization of justice for people of African descent. We rely on the good will of the international community, in supporting efforts which seek to advance this aim.  

CARICOM also welcomes the convening of the Fifth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent to be held in Geneva in the coming month and we encourage the active participation of Member States in the related activities. We urge that participation be rooted in a sincere desire to advance the interests of people of African descent and to address the issues that continue to impede their wellbeing.

Madame President,

Allow me to conclude by reiterating the call to the international community to support the advancement of truth, remembrance, healing and justice for the victims and descendants of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

As we reflect on this commemorative day, let us do so with a view to not only acknowledging the past but to developing the necessary pathways to secure a better future for all, grounded in our resolve to create a more fair, equal and just world for current and future generations.

I thank you.