– As delivered –
Remarks by H.E. Mr. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly
25 March 2021
Excellencies,
I thank you for your active participation today. The International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is an important reminder of the genesis of inequality as we strive towards 2030. We will not succeed in our endeavours to leave no one behind if we forget those who were left behind and subjugated by society in the past.
The statements heard today demonstrate that, although the transatlantic slave trade ended long ago ¨C the scars on the human psyche remain raw. We are still unpacking the impact of this moral failure. We are still navigating an unjust world.
All of us have a moral obligation to eliminate racial discrimination, in all its forms, which persists as the legacy of slavery. I urge all Member States to engage constructively on our work on the 20th commemoration of the Durban Declaration and Programme for Action; the Permanent Forum on people of African descent; and the mid-term review of the international decade for people of African descent.
Excellencies,
Our work is far from done. I hope you will join me in a moment of personal reflection to remember the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.
I thank you.