Â鶹APP

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. 

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. 

 

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Calendar of Events 

 

24 March 2026

UN Headquarters Hosts Exhibit on Enslavement of Africans in Canada

The Â鶹APP Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, in collaboration with the Government of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, organized the opening of the exhibition A History Exposed: The Enslavement of Black People in Canada on 24 March 2026 in the Â鶹APP Visitors¡¯ Lobby. 

Calling the exhibit ¡°powerful¡±, Â鶹APP Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres ¨C who was represented at the opening by his Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray ¨C  that the exhibit ¡°sheds light on the complex realities and long-silenced histories of enslavement. It honours the resilience, creativity and enduring cultural traditions of communities who sustained their humanity in the face of profound injustice and unimaginable hardship.¡±

Welcome remarks at the opening were delivered by Under?Secretary?General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming. Referring to the relatively unknown history of slavery in Canada, USG Fleming said the exhibition ¡°restores historical truth, challenges long-standing silences, and ensures this history can no longer be denied or forgotten¡±.

Additional remarks were made by H.E. Mr. David Lametti, Permanent Representative of Canada to the Â鶹APP, and Mr. Dan Conlin, an exhibition curator, representing the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

The programme ended with a spoken?word performance by Toronto¡¯s first Youth Poet Laureate, Ms. Shahaddah Jack, who performed her poem We Are Free. 

 

A History Exposed: The Enslavement of Black People in Canada reveals more than two centuries of slavery in Canada under French and British colonial rule, examining the country¡¯s involvement in the enslavement and trade of Africans within the larger system of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It was on display at UNHQ New York until 20 April 2026.

 Learn more about the exhibition

High-level speakers and members of the public attend the exhibition opening. From left to right: Dan Conlin, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21; Maher Nasser, 

Director, Outreach Division, DGC; Esther Phillips; Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General; David Lametti, Permanent Representative of Canada to the Â鶹APP; 

Shahaddah Jack; Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications. Photos: Top: Becca Newman/DGC; Bottom: Millien Maharjan 

 

High-level speakers deliver remarks at the exhibition opening. From top left, clockwise:  Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General; 

Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications;  David Lametti, Permanent Representative of Canada to the Â鶹APP;

Dan Conlin, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21;Centre image: Shahaddah Jack. Photos: Becca Newman/DGC

 

 

25 March 2026  

Poet Laureates Honour Victims of Slavery at Ark of Return 

Ahead of their keynote addresses at the 2026 commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade at the Â鶹APP General Assembly, Ms. Esther Phillips and Ms. Shahaddah Jack paid tribute to the victims of slavery at the Ark of Return ¨C the Â鶹APP Memorial honouring the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. 

A native of the Caribbean island of Barbados, Ms. Phillips is the country¡¯s first Poet Laureate, widely acclaimed for her work exploring the enduring legacies of slavery, colonialism and identity in the Caribbean. Ms. Jack, a young Canadian human rights activist and spoken word artist with family roots in St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica, is Toronto¡¯s first Youth Poet Laureate. The two distinguished poet laureates reflected on their shared ancestry and the powerful symbolism of the UN memorial. 

 

 

25 March 2026

General Assembly Observance of the 2026 International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 

On Wednesday, 25 March 2026, the General Assembly convened its annual plenary meeting to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Speakers included the President of the 80th Session of the General Assembly, Ms. Annalena Baerbock; the Secretary-General of the Â鶹APP, Mr. Ant¨®nio Guterres; keynote speaker and Barbados Poet Laureate Ms. Esther Phillips; Toronto's first Youth Poet Laureate Ms. Shahaddah Jack; regional groups and representatives of Member States.  

At this year¡¯s commemoration, the General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution recognizing the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity. Resolution 80/250, titled Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity, was led by Ghana and received 123 votes in favour. Three countries ¨C Argentina, Israel, and the United States ¨C voted against the resolution, while 52 member states abstained. 

Watch the General Assembly meeting on   

Read the UN News Story about Resolution 80/250

 

Annalena Baerbock (on screen), President of the Â鶹APP General Assembly, chairs the commemorative meeting on 25 March.  UN Photo/Manuel Elias