Paris, August 22 {No.2000-71} - On the occasion of International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, celebrated on August 23, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura has issued the following message:

"In deciding to proclaim the 23rd of August of every year International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, UNESCO wished to inscribe in the memory of all peoples a tragedy that has been forgotten and little known and pay tribute to the slaves' relentless struggle for freedom. The uprising that took place in the island of Santo Domingo (present day Haiti and Dominican Republic) on the night of the 22nd to the 23rd of August 1791 shook the foundations of slavery to the core and marked the start of the process that led to the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

"The Day of the 23rd of August is an occasion to recall a tragedy long overlooked and to restore it in its rightful place in the history of humanity bearing in mind its universal nature. The UNESCO "Slave Route" project aims to create a space for collective reflection and analysis about the root causes of the slave trade, how it operated and its consequences, notably the interactions to which it has given rise between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean.

"This celebration, which concerns at once historical truth, development, solidarity and human rights, must mobilise all nations and civil society as a whole.

"It is in this spirit that I invite you to organise, elicit and support all activities -particularly involving young people, educators, artists and intellectuals - which can raise consciousness about slavery and the slave trade, to favour ethical reflection about its impact and consequences, notably regarding new forms of slavery, and stimulate solidarity with the peoples which were its victims."