DIRECTOR-GENERAL'S MESSAGE ON THE OCCASION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE SLAVE TRADE AND ITS ABOLITION

Paris, August 16 (No.2001-87) - UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura has issued the following message on the occasion of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, August 23:

"The commemoration, on 23 August, of the slave trade and its abolition takes place, this year, on the eve of the opening, on 31 August, of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban (South Africa), involving the active participation of all the organizations and agencies of the United Nations system, and in particular of UNESCO.

"I should therefore like to take this opportunity to recall that, while slavery is a universal phenomenon in the history of humanity, the form that it took in the wake of the slave trade had three distinctive features: its duration (approximately four centuries), its legal organization through the "Black Codes" and, above all, the formulation of theories using the racial factor to justify slavery. This deep-rooted link between slavery and racism is generally acknowledged by historians. Racism considered as one of the ideological foundations of slavery is the subject of scientific research and analysis under the "Slave Route" project that the UNESCO General Conference unanimously approved with a view to exploring the underlying causes, forms and consequences of the slave trade and slavery.

"UNESCO attaches the greatest importance to the scientific rigour of this work and to the elucidation of the historical truth in order that such research should generate universal awareness of the tragedy that the slave trade and slavery constituted.

"It is in this spirit that I call on all Member States and all non-governmental organizations concerned to observe the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition by way of reflection, information and action, particularly through the involvement of young people, educators, artists and intellectuals, and by highlighting especially the issue of the relationship between slavery and racism."

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