PURPOSE: Every year on 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honor 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 today in harmful prejudices and beliefs which are still being perpetuated and continue to impact people of African descent across the world. Transformative education, which seeks to empower learners to see the social world critically and through an ethical lens to challenge and change the status quo as agents of change is essential to the work of teaching and learning about slavery in order to end racism and injustice and to build inclusive societies based on dignity and human rights for all people, everywhere.
FORUM: "Justice in Action: Confronting History, Advancing Dignity, Empowering Futures" International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade 2026. The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans was one of the most horrific crimes in human history, brutally dehumanizing more than 15 million men, women and children over 400 years. It robbed individuals of their lives and liberty, and in the centuries that followed, systems of exclusion and discrimination stripped communities of their ability to thrive and prosper. The fallacy of white supremacy was justified by – and entrenched in – institutions, cultures, and legal systems. Acknowledging the painful legacy of the trade in enslaved Africans is essential to repairing these broken systems. Born out of past harms and crimes against humanity, systemic racism and structural injustices must be transformed to heal the wounds of enslavement and build a future of dignity and justice for Afro-descendant communities across the globe. The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans represents one of the most horrific and traumatizing eras in human history. 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. Follow the conversation with the hashtags #Rememberslavery!
EVENTS: On Wednesday, 25 March 2026 at 10:00 a.m. EDT, we will commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2026 at United Nations HQ. The General Assembly will convene its annual plenary meeting wit the President of the 80th Session of the General Assembly, Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock; the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres, a keynote address from Barbados Poet Laureate Ms. Esther Phillips; Toronto's first Youth Poet Laureate Ms. Shahaddah Jack; regional groups and representatives of Member States. The commemoration is a time for reflection. This year marks the 219th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade and the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). It’s a time to reflect on a shameful era. On a brutal system of human trafficking which was built on the myth of white supremacy. Today we remember those who suffered and resisted oppression and we honor them by fighting for equality and justice. Register to participate and watch the livestream!
PLENARY MEETING: At UNHQ, On Tuesday, 24 March 2026 at 15:00 a.m. EDT, the General Assembly will convene its annual plenary meeting to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The High-Level Special Event on Reparatory Justice for the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and the Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans. The participantswill discuss reparatory justice for the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans. Watch the livestream!
At UNHQ, On Tuesday, 24 March 2026 starting at 16:00 PM EST. at UNHQ, a Press briefing by AU / Africa Group, led by the Permanent Mission of Ghana to the U.N. was organized on the proposed resolution to be tabled and considered in the GA on Wednesday, 25th March during the GA commemorative event marking the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2026. Watch the press briefing!
PUBLICATIONS: The American Anti-Slavery Society was an abolitionist organization that played a crucial role in spreading abolitionism in the North before the Civil War. In December 1833, delegates from state and local abolition societies gathered in Philadelphia to found an agency to promote a national approach to ending slavery. William Lloyd Garrison, Theodore D. Weld, and the Tappan brothers, Lewis and Arthur, were among the leading figures in this venture. Central to its mission was the doctrine of "immediate emancipation," as opposed to the gradualism espoused by some anti-slavery societies. Looking to spread its ideas across the nation, the society subsidized the printing and distribution of abolitionist tracts, pamphlets, and broadsides, and created a network of agents to carry the message throughout the United States. Read the full publication!
Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery. A fresh, original look at George Washington as an innovative land manager whose singular passion for farming would unexpectedly lead him to reject slavery. Get the book!
Slavery at the Home of George Washington. This highly-readable selection of articles focuses on Washington's changing attitudes toward the institution of slavery, and his everyday relationships with the slaves who shared his Mount Vernon estate. Get the book!
Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington's Mount Vernon. At the time of George Washington's death in 1799, more than 300 enslaved men, women, and children lived on his Mount Vernon plantation. Lives Bound Together provides fresh research on this important topic. Read the book!
The Quanders - Since 1684, an Enduring African American Legacy. The Quanders – Since 1684: An Enduring African America Legacy introduces stories that constitute the Quander family legacy as one of the oldest consistently documented African American families in the United States. Read the book!
STATEMENTS: Listen the full Statement of the United Nations Secretary-General, on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade 2026. March 25th.
PODCASTS: For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history. United Nations Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery. Listen to the audio-podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: "It’s a time to reflect on a shameful era.", Remember Slavery; Get the communication materials!
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
HOW TO GET INVOLVED!
PARTNERSHIPS
We celebrate the day to focus on the power of education to fight discrimination against Afro-descendants. The Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery was established in 2007 with the adoption of General Assembly resolution 62/122. The Programme raises awareness of the history of the transatlantic slave trade, its impact on the modern world, and its legacies, including racism and prejudice.
Read the UNESCO Declaration of the International Scientific Committee of the Slave Route Project: resistance, liberty, heritage to learn more.
Commemorate the dramatic page in our history, during which +15 million African men, women and children experienced one of the worst forms of abuse+violations of their human rights.
Build societies based on equality.
Visit Slavery museum and exhibits related to the legacies of the translatlantic slave trade.
Participate to the Project “Fostering Rights Inclusion - The Slave Routes. International Scientific Committee’’. The project benefits from the guidance of an International Scientific Committee composed of 20 members, half of whom are renewed every two years. These members are appointed by the Director General in respect of the representation of different regions, disciplines and gender. The role of this advisory body is to advise UNESCO on the implementation of the project, in particular with regard to the development of educational material and programmes, research into various aspects of the slave trade and slavery and the formation of new partnerships to promote its objectives.
The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is co-organized by the Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, the United Nations General Assembly, the UNESCO, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the UN Human Right Office and the High commissioner of Human Rights.
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Educating on the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies, including racism.