General Assembly: 75th plenary meeting, 80th session - International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade

Good morning. Please have a seat. The 75th plenary meeting of the General Assembly is called to order. The Assembly will consider agenda item 119, entitled Commemoration of the Abolition of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. and, in accordance with resolution 73/345 of 16 September 2019, hold a commemorative meeting on the occasion of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. I will now make a statement as the President of the General Assembly. The closeness of the place, so crowded that each has scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. I was soon put down under the decks. I became so sick and low that I was not able to eat, and I wished for the last friend, death, to relieve me. These passages were written by Olaudah Equiano in his 18th century memoir. Equiano, from what is now Nigeria, was stolen, shackled, and shipped like cargo, degraded, dehumanized. Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, excellencies, distinguished galliards. Tens of millions of others like Agvano were ripped from their families, their countries, and cultures, enslaved and sent to work in foreign lands, to cotton fields here in the United States, to sugar and coffee plantations in European-controlled colonies, in what is now Brazil, Barbados, Jamaica, and dozens more places, all far from home, far from family, far from life. Countless perished before ever reaching land. Those who survived were condemned to lives of servitude, enforced by the lash and the whip, denied their freedom, their dignity, even their names. This is not only tragic history. The slave trade and slavery stand among the gravest violations of human rights in human history, an affront to the very principles enshrined in the Charter of our United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, themselves born in part from these injustices of the past. Indeed, the memory of this atrocity is immortalized here at the United Nations in the Arc of Return and is commemorated in this hall year after year. Because while slavery itself has been abolished, its consequences endure, continuing to shape lives to this day. For descendants, it is inherited. manifesting as poverty, as social discrimination, as underrepresentation in politics and business. And for countries of origin, many of whom have representatives here today, it was a hollowing out, the loss of entire generations who would otherwise have helped to sow the seeds of prosperity. It was, to put it in colder terms, mass resource extraction. Those of us whose predecessors did not have to live through these atrocities can never truly fathom how dire the conditions on those boats must have been, nor how hopeless and heartbroken the people. But none of us could say we do not know the fate that they met. We have seen this time and again in movies and television, in books and literature. We've heard it from friends, families torn apart, women and men, children slaving away in cotton fields and on plantations under scorching heat. Women raped, men beaten, children born without hope of education or opportunity. Addressing these injustices is therefore a moral imperative, rooted in a collective responsibility to confront past wrongs and to shape a more just future, an imperative that requires storytelling, as Olodun Egwano did in his memoir, and as Ms. Esther Phillips and Ms. Shahada Jack will do for us today. An imperative that demands action to challenge long-entrenched discrimination, raise awareness, and push for more just and inclusive society. And an imperative that calls for candid, even painful self-reflection and accountability. On this point, I welcome the debate, however challenging it may be, on today's resolution. as it demonstrates that our UN is not shying away from hard conversations or topics, but addressing moral dilemmas head on. Excellencies, while systematic slavery and the slave trade may be confined to the past, the roots of discrimination live on, as do grave violations of human rights. Indeed, in the middle of the last century, the world saw slavery transformed from legally sanctioned to clandestine with new forms of forced labor, human trafficking, and debt bondage. We must therefore be tireless in pursuit of justice, ensuring that we remain active participants in the pursuit of dignity, accountability, and equality across generations. As Oladun Ekwano once said, "The duty I owe to my country will not suffer me to be silent." I thank you. Now, I give the floor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency Antonio Guterres.

Madam President of the General Assembly, Excellencies, Today, we reflect on a deep betrayal of human dignity: the abduction of millions of Africans stolen from families and communities they would never see again. Their trafficking across the Atlantic in conditions so cruel, one in seven did not survive the journey. And their enslavement in the Americas, where generations were brutally exploited for their labor and denied their basic humanity. These monstrous acts were the core of a global economic and social order. A system born of greed, built on lies, and enforced by violence. A system that prevailed for over 400 years and haunts our world even now. A system that reflected the worst of humanity. And that is why today is more than a time of remembrance. It's a moment to confront the lasting legacies of inequality and racism. We will never forget the victims of slavery. And we must never forget the malevolent system that sustained it for so long. I am thinking of the laws that deprived the enslaved people of literacy, autonomy, and humanity. The economic, financial, and trade networks that enabled elites and empires, including my own country, to amass wealth built on stolen lives and stolen labor. And the barbaric punishments that maintained control, from shackles and iron collars to flogging and sexual violence. This was not simply forced labour. It was a machinery of mass exploitation and deliberate dehumanisation of men, women and children. The wounds run deep and often go unrecognised. I've often said the transatlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity that struck at the core of personhood, broke up families, and devastated communities. To justify the unjustifiable, slavery's proponents and beneficiaries constructed a racist ideology, turning prejudice into a pseudoscience. This perverse global order thrived because power acted without conscience. And we must use our power for better ends. By reflecting the false narrative of racial hierarchy and calling out the ugly lie of white supremacy. By dismantling its damaging falsehoods online, in the media, in schools, at work, in politics, and within ourselves, and by working for truth, justice, and repair. We recognize the extraordinary courage of the enslaved. We honor their determination to be free, their quiet resilience and their organized resistance, their uprisings and acts of open defiance, their unbreakable human spirit. Now we must remove the persistent barriers that prevent so many people of African descent from exercising their rights and realizing their potential. We must commit fully and without hesitation to human rights, equality, and the inherent worth of every person. That is why the Second International Decade for People of African Descent and the African Union's Decade of Reparations are significant. Let us use them to drive action in three critical areas: eradicating systemic racism, ensuring reparatory justice, and declares accelerating inclusive development with equal access to education, health, employment, housing, and a safe environment. I welcome the steps some countries are taking to apologize for their role in the evil of slavery and to join an honest dialogue about its lasting consequences. But far bolder actions and many more states are needed. And this includes commitments to respect countries' ownership of their own natural resources, and steps to ensure their equal participation and influence in the global financial architecture and the UN Security Council. I urge all member states to become state parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, if they have not already done it.

Your Excellencies, we cannot continue to tolerate racial violence or bigotry. We cannot keep letting inequality and injustice be ignored. We must turn memory into progress and remembrance into responsibility. The world we seek, rooted in freedom, equality, and justice, is within reach. Let us honor the victims of the transatlantic trade, not only with our words, but with our work. Let us build a future where all human beings live and thrive in dignity. I thank you.

I thank the Secretary-General. Before proceeding further, and as indicated in my letters dated March 5 and 16, 2026, I would like to consult members on inviting the following speakers to address the Assembly at this meeting: Ms. Esther Phillips, First Poet Laureate of Barbados, and Ms. Shadada Jack, First Youth Poet Laureate of Toronto, Canada. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly, and without setting a precedent, to invite these speakers to deliver statements at this meeting? It is so decided. I would like to propose that the list of speakers for this item to be closed in view of the large number of delegations inscribed on the list. Unless I hear any objection, I will take it that the Assembly agrees to close the list of speakers. It is so decided. I now have the honor to give the floor to Ms. Esther Phillips, first Poet Laureate of Barbados.

Thank you.

Madam President of the General Assembly, Secretary General of the United Nations, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I ask you to imagine a young girl of about 11 years walking in these present times on the site of a sugar plantation and not understanding its historical significance. Meanwhile, her once enslaved ancestors buried on that same plantation are speaking among themselves as they observe her. In the following poem, my ancestors gifted me their silence. There are brief pauses. Listen as the ancestors are now speaking into those silences. Let her walk free, unhindered into the new world. She must not see the crimson of the dawn and think of. Let her see only purple flowers growing in the cut rock. and not hear the back breaking. She must remember only the smell of ripe plums and guavas rising from the gully, never the stink of. Let her gaze at the lacy leaves in the cluster of bamboo trees and not see that the branches were cut, stripped, and used for. The thick pole with holes cut into the crossbars was worthy. The dark spot left on the ground by jamun berries was once the stain of. She's walking west of the great house, next to what she knows only as the yard. We were barely her age when Massa summoned us to his quarters. We were not the same when we came back. The children born to us were never ours to love as we wanted. Better they'd never seen the morning light. Better they'd been buried along with their navel strings under this same earth. But this girl, Walking. She is one the old wise woman saw when we gathered late in the evening, speaking over a pot of water so no one could hear us. It was then the old woman whispered her vision that one day, one day. Let the girl child think it's only birds, crickets, grasshoppers. The wind is slipping through the cuscus that she hears. Never the sounds of our. Oh, my ancestors. So late for me to unwrap layer by layer this gift of your silence. But today I place my birth call over my eyes so I may see. And I weep. For the bones I find here. The solitary cowrie shell, a broken comb. Shreds of the that roughened your one smooth ebony skin. Gave no ease to your torn flesh. I shed these tears from my oblivion. False buffer of empire that shrouded my hearing, veiled my sight, turned me, ******* child, away from my true mother. Now I unwrap the love you forced into silence, like a hedge to protect me until the time would come for safer passage. What can I give you in return in these late years? This late awakening. The pledge of my voice, my words, the rest of this walking. My next poem attempts to express the feelings of an enslaved mother who knows that her child could be sold at any time. The name Odifo means survivor, although that survival may come sometime in the future. The title of the poem is "Hard Love." She cannot stop her waters breaking, stanch the blood that comes with the birth of her son, or the flow of milk from her breasts. She holds him in her arms and feels the spirits of his father's hover near. He is Odiffo, Odiffo, that is his name. She breathes the baby's name into his ear, into his spirit, so he may not forget. But even now she knows what cannot be. She must not fetter her son with tenderness. So as he grows, she flexes his feet and ankles to bear the weight of ball and chain. Rubs her calloused hands down the soft skin of his back to ready him for whippings that will come. She lets the weight of her arms fall heavy on his neck as she hugs him. A yoke may be the collar he will wear. Some evenings, she stands him near the cooking fire. She knows he must enjoy the searing of the branding iron deep into his flesh when he is marked, not with the name his fathers gave him, but as the property of the enslavers. These days in the fields, the sun darkens. The white men have come like wild beasts on the hunt, and she knows, she knows. Just before daybreak one morning, Master sent for the boy, he must come. She whispers these final words to her son, "You are Oedipus, remember your name, Oedipus." There's fear in his eyes, but also something deeper. My name is Odie, he whispers back. 13 years old and he's gone. He will not see how the bitter tasting vine she's used to bind her two full heart unravels. Now her red rimmed eyes, when all that she's held in breaks loose. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, there remains a terrible breach, a gaping wound in the tapestry of humanity, indeed of the world. The name of that wound is the transatlantic slave trade, one of the worst atrocities inflicted by one group of human beings on another. and whose legacy remains to this day. The quest of Prime Minister Mia Motley and others like myself is the repairing, the reparation of that breach perpetuated by racism and other forms of discrimination. According to legend, there may be some truth in this. Somewhere on the western shores of Africa, on the nights of the full moon, the elders light fires, hoping to light the way for the lost children of Africa to find their way back home. Members of the United Nations General Assembly, your very name implies commitment through your peace initiatives and humanitarian policies, to igniting the fires of conscience, empathy, unity, and equity, so that home for all races and ethnicities is a place of belonging, of dignity, and no people are made to feel as if they are unwelcome strangers on this earth. There are spirits of the victims of slavery present in this room at this moment. And they are listening for one word only. Justice. Because for them and for the world, there can be no peace without justice. Reparatory justice. And that call is answered. only when words are turned into action. Question is, what will you do? Thank you.

I thank you, Ms. Phillips, for your very strong and emotional words, and we should all not forget the name Odiffo. I now give the floor to Ms. Shahada Jaq, first Youth Poet Laureate of Toronto, Canada.

Madam President of the General Assembly, Secretary-General, Excellencies, friends, and guests, bonjour and good morning. I would like to begin by expressing my deep gratitude to President Annalena Baerbock for the invitation and to everyone gathered here today in remembrance, reflection, and responsibility. We are here to honor the lives of those who were taken, those who endured, and those whose stories were never given the chance to be told. The transatlantic slave trade is not just history, it is a living legacy that continues to shape our world, our systems, and our understanding of justice and humanity. My name is Shahada Jack, and as Toronto, Canada's first Youth Poet Laureate, I stand here carrying both memory and possibility. Poetry is a way of reclaiming voice, of speaking back to silence, of honoring truth, and of imagining freedom beyond what was denied. And spoken word is considered the closest and most foundational art form to African ancestral storytelling. So today, the poem I am sharing is titled "Reclaiming Our Pen." It is an offering. It is a remembering. And it is a call for all of us, especially the youth in this room, to continue telling our stories loudly, truthfully, and without permission. At an early age, my mother taught me that there are pages missing from world history, and they sound like our names, like the names of my grandmother and the women who came before me. Women who were the descendants of African slaves and somehow my blood already knew this to be true. The world archives call this a trade, but my body remembers this as theft. My DNA remembers it as captivity and brutality. My DNA remembers its 2 million ancestors who died at sea. It remembers that before the ships and chains that we were whole. That our dignity was not something that we had to earn, but as something that we already carried. It remembers our liberty, not as a colonial gift, but as our innate birthright. See, my ancestors crossed oceans already free. Slavery was merely an interruption, not our origin story. For centuries, we existed as kings and queens before our being was deemed property. Now museums profit off of our dynasties. Stolen heirlooms become historical artifacts. Our humanity now documented as mythology. See, history did not forget us. or the spelling of our names. It simply stole the pen from our grip and edited us out, rewrote our realities, and buried us in the margins. But they seemingly forgot that we were seeds. And no matter how many generations of oppressors tried to block the sunlight, our resilience relentlessly bloomed. We labored. as resistance, used sacrifice as our weapon, and protested as promise, see what the world calls survival. My ancestors called, remembering who they were. Before displacement, there were nations that required no permission, permission to choose who they love, or the garments that they wore, or the language that they spoke. Emancipation was not the merciful start to freedom, but the delayed recognition of a freedom that already existed. So on this day, remembrance becomes an act of reparation, a vow to tell the story, not as it was justified, but as it was lived. Our history is global history, and so is the responsibility to remember and document it truthfully, fully. So look inward and ask yourself, how do you hope to be remembered in this world's history books? What will be your legacy in the fight for justice and equality? The history of slavery remains as a plague on our society. Many of the injustices we fight today are symptoms of its atrocities, but it is not the burden of African descendants to carry. We will no longer be victims and our dignity will no longer be questioned. We are not product, we are prodigy. Our resilience will be echoed in the remembrance of our ascendants' plight, our shared legacy. See, history will not be our destiny. Hope will continue to be inherited by lineages to come. Young minds will be empowered by the fight of their ancestral line, the youth. will become the co-conspirators of a future written for all of us. We will be the ones pushing justice into action, etching into the fabric of time that our pain is our power, but our beauty is our story, reclaiming our pen and writing our forgotten names back into the pages of history. Merci, thank you.

Ms. Jack, I thank you and we honored to hear your strong voice, not only for the youth, but also and especially for the youth. I would like to propose that the list of speakers for this item to be closed in the view of the large numbers of delegations, as we decided already before. Before proceeding further, and as indicated in my letters dated 5th and 16th of March, we have also zoomed to the speakers, and by this, we are opening now our discussions. on these proceedings. Before proceeding further, I wish to recall my letter on time management and speaking limits circulated to delegations on January 6, 2026. During this commemorative meeting, speakers are encouraged to adhere to the time limit of five minutes for statements made on behalf of a group of states and three minutes for delegations speaking in their national capacity. To assist delegations in managing their time, a countdown clock will be displayed on the screens. And I would really like to call and thank you for your cooperation. As the first speaker, I give the floor to His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, who will speak on behalf of the African states.

Thank you very much, Madam President. Your Excellency, Secretary-General of the UN, Excellencies, Permanent Representatives, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. Progress is made in little steps. It is the forward motion towards something better and changes often come incrementally. Today marks the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It is a day on which we honor the memory of the approximately 13 million African men, women, and children who were enslaved over the course of several centuries. We remember them through articles, oral histories, through broadcast programs, books, music, visits to museums, monuments, and memorials such as the Arc of Return, located right here at the Visitors Plaza of the United Nations Headquarters. Through these activities, we do more than remember. We document and educate. We gain greater perspective. We find the delicate balance of learning from history so that we do not repeat it while leaving our pain behind. In doing so, we begin to heal individually within our immediate communities and also within the global community. This day of remembrance did not happen by accident. In 2006, our global community gathered here, just as we have done today, and resolved to designate the 25th of March of the following year a Day of Remembrance. It marked significant progress. Then the following year, in 2007, we decided to make the event an annual one so that the 25th March of every year would be the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. That marked an additional step in our forward motion. And so it's indeed for teachers to be here today, two decades later, addressing the General Assembly on behalf of the African Group regarding the draft resolution entitled declaration of the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. In September last year, at the 80th session of the General Assembly, I stood in this exact place and served notice that Ghana will move a motion to declare the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity. This current draft resolution is a result of months of consultation and consensus building by continental bodies, nations, experts, scholars, and jurists, with the sole aim of achieving a united front and grounding the final outcome in truth, compassion and moral conscience, remembrance, education and dialogue. So today we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice. The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting. It also challenges the enduring scars of slavery. Madam President, let me conclude with two significant quotes by two great leaders of history, one of them white and one of them black. The former president of the United States of America, Theodore Roosevelt, said, and I quote, "With a great moral issue involved, Neutrality does not serve righteousness. For to be neutral between right and wrong is to serve wrong. Again, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King also reminds us, and I quote, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." We've traveled this long road. Each step guided by a desire to be better and to do better. Each step bringing us closer to the kind of world we would want to leave for our children. And so, delegates, on this beautiful day in March, we're called to stand on the right side of history. Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right. for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of the slave trade and those who continue to suffer racial discrimination. Let our vote on this resolution restore their dignity and humanity. I thank you for the opportunity.

I thank the President of the Republic of Ghana on behalf of the African States. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Lebanon, who will speak on behalf of the Asia-Pacific States.

Madam President, Excellencies. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Group as we mark today the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. As we commemorate this annual United Nations international observance since 2007, we honor today the memory of the millions of women, men, and children who suffered perished and endured unimaginable hardship as a result of one of the darkest chapters in human history. Madam President, the transatlantic slave trade was not only a grave injustice that deprived countless individuals of their freedom, dignity, and humanity, but it also left enduring legacies of inequality, racism, and discrimination that continue to affect societies across the world. Remembering this history is essential, not only to pay tribute to the victims and the resilience of their descendants, but also to confront the lasting consequences of this tragedy with honesty and determination. This day reminds us of our shared responsibility to preserve the truth of history, to promote education and awareness, and to stand firmly against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance in all their forms. Madam President, the fight against slavery is not only a legal or political obligation. It is a moral imperative. As we pay tribute to the memory of those who suffered from slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, Let us reaffirm our collective commitment to justice, human dignity, equality, and the protection of human rights for all. Only through remembrance, reflection, and action can we ensure that such atrocities are never repeated and that the future generations inherit a world grounded in respect, inclusion, and shared humanity. By working together with determination and solidarity, we can bring an end to this injustice and ensure a future where every individual lives in freedom and dignity. I thank you, Madam President.

I thank the distinguished representative of Lebanon, speaking on behalf of the Asia-Pacific states. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cuba, who will speak on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean states.

Madam President, your excellencies, distinguished delegates, friends, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, GRULAC. We express our deepest appreciation to the President of the General Assembly. Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock, for convening this commemorative plenary meeting, as well as to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Antonio Guterres, for his remarks. Today is a day not only to remember, but also to reinforce the value of protecting the international community from the wrongs of the past. We would also like to thank Ms Esther Phillips and Ms Shahada Jaq for participating in this meeting and for sharing their valuable insights. Madam President, We begin by paying our respects to all those African women, men, young persons and children who were brutally and forcibly separated from their loved ones and suffered the horrors of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, one of the saddest chapters in human history. Today, we also honour the indigenous peoples who have suffered and lost their lives as a consequence of the slave trade. The legacy of colonialism in Latin America and the Caribbean, resulting in deeply embedded and continuing structures of racism and discrimination, must not be forgotten or ignored. By remembering the past, we can contribute to a better understanding of this period in history and fight against its legacies, including racism and prejudice. We must also take action to dismantle racism and racial discrimination, including systemic racism, which continue to have an adverse impact on the lives of people of African descent around the world. Madam President, convened today under the theme, "Justice in Action: Confronting History, Advancing Dignity, Empowering Futures," we emphasize the need to progress from remembrance to action, from sympathy to commitment. The international community must take progressive steps towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and implementing the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, which acknowledges that slavery and the slave trade are a crime against humanity and should have always been so. The Group of Latin American and Caribbean States notes that in 2026, we will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, one of the most important international instruments in the fight against racism and in the promotion of racial equality. In this regard, we note with appreciation the ongoing negotiations of the Declaration on the Human Rights of People of African Descent as a milestone in the commemoration of this anniversary. The Group of Latin American and Caribbean States echoes the Secretary-General's call for reparatory justice and to put in place reparatory justice frameworks to address this terrible history and its legacies. Reparatory justice is essential for repairing the present and building a future founded on dignity and justice. Collective action to advance the just and strong call for reparations is required. The group calls on member states to continue their efforts to integrate a comprehensive understanding of the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade into educational curricula. It is essential that we continue to educate the public, including children and young people, about the history and impact of the slave trade as a way of addressing its legacy and promoting action against racism, racial discrimination, hate speech and prejudice. as well as a means for reconciliation and equality. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. Madam President, Today, it is imperative that we recognize the legacies of slavery and the fact that slavery and slavery-like practices still persist. in the form of structural racism, racial inequalities, underdevelopment, marginalization and socio-economic disparities affecting Africans and people of African descent throughout the world. The international community cannot stand by and do nothing in the face of such challenges. We must work together to dismantle the transnational criminal structures that perpetuate these and other forms of exploitation and oppression. The legacy of slavery must become a distant memory that will never be repeated. The Group welcomes the proclamation of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent, 2025-2034, which will help to intensify our efforts to fulfill our shared commitments to recognition, justice and development. for people of African descent. The Group reaffirms its support for the initiatives, mandate and valuable work of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. Ending slavery's legacy of racism is critical for building a future of dignity and justice. Much remains to be done to achieve the full equality of every individual in our region and throughout the world. We must continue to work together to take progressive steps towards addressing racial discrimination, racism and hate, while mobilizing political will and resources. Let us continue to work towards a world that leaves no one behind. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Cuba, speaking on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean States. I give the floor to the Distinguished Representative of the United Kingdom who will speak on behalf of the Western European and other states.

Thank you, Madam President. Excellencies, I have the honor to speak on behalf of members of the Western European and other states group as we mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Today we remember the millions of women, men and children who were brutally torn from their homes, and pay tribute and respect to their descendants. Slavery and the transatlantic slave trade was abhorrent, an act spanning centuries and causing profound suffering. We welcome this year's theme, "Justice in Action: Confronting History, advancing dignity, empowering futures. As an important lesson for us, we must never forget the history of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, as well as its devastating consequences and long-lasting impacts. The role of education and the duty of remembrance is crucial in this respect. We must understand history to guide us to make the right choices in the future. And human rights are the cornerstone of that learning, a global commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the rights of equality and non-discrimination as a safeguard for future generations. We cannot change history, but we can and should talk about it. It is important that we engage in meaningful dialogue on sustainable development, on education, on health, on climate. To continue to make progress, we must confront the barriers and inequities that persist today. We remain committed to tackling these root causes by addressing racial discrimination, combating racism and xenophobia, and challenging all forms of intolerance, wherever they appear. We recognize the establishment of a second International Decade for People of African Descent and the important work of the Permanent Forum in promoting and protecting human rights. We reaffirm our commitment to fully implement the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Colleagues, we must also address the scourge of modern slavery and related forms of exploitation, including trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation and forced criminality, mainly of women and girls, but also boys and men. Modern slavery has increased and forms of exploitation continue to evolve, including trafficking for forced criminality, into online scam operations. We welcome the political declaration agreed at the fourth high-level appraisal of the Global Plan of Action to combat trafficking in persons, which reaffirms commitments to tackle these challenges. We underscore our commitment to prevention efforts to reduce the vulnerability of those at risk of trafficking and exploitation, and to ensure that victims and survivors are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives. Madam President, while we cannot rewrite the past, we can choose how it guides us and strengthens our resolve to build a more just and inclusive future. Acknowledging the harm endured is a step toward healing and a commitment to ensuring such injustices are neither forgotten nor repeated. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom, speaking on behalf of the Western European and other states. I would like to inform the Assembly, as I said before, that we have received requests from additional member states to speak in this commemorative meeting, yet the speaking list has been closed. As the next speaker, I give the floor to His Excellency Khalilur Rahman, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.

Thank you, Madam President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. It is indeed an honor for me to join this very important commemoration. At that outset, let me pay tribute to the millions of victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, which remains a permanent scar on humanity, our common consciousness, and a stark reminder of moral degradation beyond comprehension. I also honor the extraordinary courage of those who stood against slavery and slave trade. My country, Bangladesh, stands firmly against apartheid, slavery, and genocide. Our constitution rejects imperialism, colonialism, racism, and oppression. We firmly believe that no human being should ever again face the appalling tragedy of slave trade. Excellencies, This year we are observing the centenary of the 1926 Slavery Convention, and we are almost 80 years into the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that prohibited slavery and the slave trade. Yet, we must acknowledge that the ideologies of slavery did not end with its abolition. They still persist today in social hierarchies, economic structures and political systems. We continue to witness modern day slavery in many forms and manifestations. Madam President, acknowledging the historical truth about the transatlantic slave trade and its lasting impacts is essential but not enough. As we strive to realize the 2030 agenda, We must renew our resolve to combat human trafficking. We must take coordinated actions on digital forensics. And we must invest in education and dialogue to build awareness of human and civilizational costs of slavery and slave trade. Madam President, on this solemn day, let us reaffirm our commitment to building a world where slavery and oppression will have no place. I thank you all.

I thank the distinguished representative and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh. I now give the floor to the next speaker, Trinidad and Tobago, on behalf of the Caribbean Community.

I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the 14 member states of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM. We express and thank you as president and also thank the high level speakers for their contribution this morning. And further take this opportunity to recognize Miss Esther Phillips. First poet laureate of Barbados. A daughter of our own region. We acknowledge the presence of his Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, and we commend the Ghanaian delegation for the General Assembly initiative, which it has led on behalf of the African Union on the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans. Madam President, today we pay tribute to more than 15 million African men, women, and children who were forcibly captured and trafficked from their homeland across the Atlantic and into the Americas. On arrival in the Americas, they were subjugated to the brutal and horrific system of chattel enslavement by plantation owners and stripped of their dignity and rights for over 400 years. We continue to lament the immense losses engendered by this horrific crime against humanity, including the loss of intangible cultural heritage, such as language and religion. We also pay tribute to the millions who died on the journey through the Middle Passage as a result of the unspeakable conditions to which they were subjected, and to those who chose death over a life of bondage. The Ark of Return, the permanent memorial to honor the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade here at the United Nations headquarters, stands as a solemn reminder of those atrocities, their enduring legacies, and the responsibility we bear to confront them with honesty and resolve. Caricom believes it is imperative to shed light on the past as a way of not only acknowledging history and truth, but also confronting it and understanding its continued implications. Though many decades have passed. We therefore remain strong advocates for comprehensive education and awareness to improve knowledge and understanding of the transatlantic slave trade. Madam President, We use this occasion to also pay homage to our forebears. Who resisted oppression and fought for their freedom and rights. Their victory over their colonial oppressors paved the way for the exercise of the right to to self determination. And for us to develop our free societies and our people. Their uprisings, revolutions, and resistance resistance movements changed the course of history, championing in the face of oppression, their conviction that human rights and dignity belong not to a select few, but to all. The transatlantic slave trade constituted a crime against humanity and has left behind deep and persistent wounds in our societies. A significant number of citizens of CARICOM member states are people of African descent. Today, the legacies of this brutal era continue to manifest in our lives and societies, contributing to factors that drive high national debt, persistent poverty, psychological and generational trauma, health challenges, and certain social ills. Slavery and its transatlantic slave trade also ingrained in societies across the world the false doctrines and ideas of racial superiority, entrenching the scourge of racism and racial discrimination against Africans and people of African descent, which remains as one of the most egregious legacies of this period. This year, as we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, We do so in acknowledgement of the persistent challenges we face in eradicating racism and racial discrimination across the globe. Member states must work collectively to address this problem. If not meaningfully addressed, the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade will continue to hinder the progress of people of African descent across the world. We have a responsibility to ensure that people of African descent are not left behind. CARICOM calls for the repatriated justice is firmly grounded in the region's 10-point plan of reparatory justice, which elaborates a pathway to securing justice for victims of crimes against humanity, the atrocities and exploitation of colonialism, and the enduring legacies thereof. CARICOM also welcomes the convening of the fifth session of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent to be held in Geneva in the coming month, and we encourage the active participation of member states. Madam President, as we reflect on this commemorative day, let us do so with a view to not only acknowledging the past, but to developing the necessary pathways to secure a better future for all. grounded in our resolve to create a more fair, equal and just world for current and future generations. I thank you, Chair.

I thank the Distinguished Representative of Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of the Caribbean community. I now give the floor to the Distinguished Representative of the European Union on behalf of the EU and its Member States.

Madam President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia, as well as Armenia, Andorra, and San Marino, align themselves with this statement. Madam President, The transatlantic slave trade remains an unparalleled tragedy which lasted over three centuries and involved unspeakable atrocities affecting millions of Africans. Twenty years ago, the General Assembly acknowledged the unprecedented scale and duration of the atrocities of slavery and the slave trade, condemning with the strongest words these human rights violations. The EU and its Member States are actively engaged across all relevant fora to make progress on this issue, and we demonstrated our commitment through concrete domestic and international action. While the wrongs of the past cannot be undone, we must learn from them and strive to redress their enduring consequences in full adherence to international law, by dismantling barriers and addressing the disparities that still prevents the full and equal participation of descendants in all aspects of society. We must continue to support efforts to shed light on the history of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, as well as their causes, devastating consequences, and long-lasting impacts. We also acknowledge that more must be done to take into account the consequences of the transatlantic slave trade. This demands collective effort, rooted in a shared commitment to remembrance and the need to continue combating slavery in its contemporary forms. The EU and its Member States remain open to every meaningful opportunity that fosters consensus and unity on this important matter. today, despite universal prohibition, slavery and slavery-like practices in the form of trafficking of persons for criminal or political purposes and other forms of modern slavery persist and constitute flagrant and daily violations of human rights. The EU is firmly committed to eradicating these abhorrent practices and actively works to eradicate slavery in all its forms through both legal frameworks and policies. The EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights enshrines the right to human dignity with the prohibition of slavery, forced labour and trafficking in human beings. The EU regulation on prohibiting products made with forced labour reinforces this stance, enabling us to remove such goods from our single market, whether they are produced domestically or imported. Additionally, we actively support the International Labour Organization's fundamental conventions on forced labour, which are integrated into many of our trade instruments. In parallel, the European Union supports the international fight against racism and racial discrimination in all their forms and is committed to the full implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. We will continue implementing global initiatives such as the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, which marks its 25th anniversary this year. And just last week, like every year, the EU convened an anti-racism conference that brought together policymakers, civil society and independent equality bodies to exchange best practices. Madam President, the European Union and its Member States reaffirm their commitment to eliminating all forms of modern slavery and building a just and equal society for all, where dignity and human rights are respected and protected. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the European Union on behalf of the EU and its member states. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Burkina Faso on behalf of the Confederation of States Sahel.

Excellence, Madam.

Your Excellency, Madam President of the General Assembly, your Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana. Secretary General, ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor to deliver the statement on behalf of the member countries of the Confederation of States of Sahel, namely Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. On this day of commemoration of the abolition of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, the member countries of the Confederation bow with respect before the memory of all of the innocent people who suffered unjustly from these abhorred acts. It is deeply regrettable that societies calling themselves civilized deemed it normal at a certain point in their history to systematically reduce other human beings to the status of things, to torture them, to sell them, to deprive them of all dignity and to deny them their humanity. Today's ceremony must not be limited to simply honoring the memory of the more than 10 million Africans who were deported and enslaved in inhumane and degrading conditions. It must also serve as an opportunity for us to identify the responsibility for the harm done to Africa and to humanity as a whole. and to affirm a strong collective commitment to act for justice so that such atrocities never happen again. Madam President, on this subject, some states prefer silence and prefer to suffocate the truth about these macabre events. at the time when a series of measures are brought into being to recall and commemorate other human tragedies, sometimes of far lesser magnitude. The Confederation of Sahel States believes, on the contrary, that the truth must be brought to light and the reparations must be pursued. And the current context calls for this, as certain nations continue to treat Africa as a private domain, to the point where their parliamentarians, like the slavers of yesterday, who decided on the fate of millions of Africans, now presume to legislate on the internal affairs of the sister country with the Republic of Niger. The Confederation condemns this pseudo-humanistic and neo-colonialist posture, which reflects a logic of mercantilist and imperialist exploitation of the continent. Indeed, is a common thread between the slavery and transatlantic trade of the past and the terrorism plaguing the Sahel today, namely in the enrichment of colonial and imperial powers on one side and the impoverishment and fragmentation of Africa on the other. In the past, these powers built their economies by draining Africa of its human labor. Today, Africa's natural resources are being plundered using strategies of terror and endless conflict. This is done through to terrorist mercenaries and other criminal armed groups that are financed and instrumentalized. Madam President, faced with the reflexes of these slave trading and imperialist states that refuse to accept the emancipation of the peoples of the Sahel and of Africa, the Confederation of Sahel States remains committed to supporting any initiative aimed at restoring the dignity of African peoples, including through reparations. We therefore welcome and fully support the initiative of the African Union to adopt a resolution which categorizes slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity. We also take this opportunity to thank Ghana for so eloquently voicing the continent's position on this question, and we express our deep gratitude to His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Burkina Faso on behalf of the Confederation of States Sahel. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cyprus, followed by the Russian Federation and Equatorial Guinea.

Thank you, Madam President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen. As we mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Cyprus joins the international community in condemning these crimes against humanity and honouring the memory of the many millions of enslaved Africans who endured untold suffering and injustice during one of humanity's darkest chapters. For the millions of Africans who survived the abhorrent conditions of captivity before their journey and the horrific conditions of the Middle Passage, a life of degrading treatment, servitude, physical and sexual violence awaited. Slavery and the transatlantic slave trade continue to stand as one of the gravest atrocities in human history and a profound violation of human rights, stripping individuals of their freedom and of their humanity. For Cyprus, a country at the crossroads of continents and civilizations, remembrance carries a particular resonance. Our history, too, has been shaped by colonialism, division, displacement, and the denial of fundamental rights. While the transatlantic slave trade belongs to a different historical and geographical context, Its legacy of dehumanisation, inequality and injustice is a reminder that respect for human dignity must never be taken for granted. This legacy can also be found in the entrenched systems of discrimination set up during slavery, but whose consequences undeniably persist to this day. Remembering this past is therefore not merely an act of tribute, it is a duty. The duty to acknowledge truth, to educate future generations, and to confront the enduring legacies of racism and exclusion wherever they arise. Madam President, on this day, we reaffirm our commitment to upholding the principles that bind us as an international community: respect for human dignity, equality, and justice. We must continue to fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and all forms of intolerance, and to promote inclusive societies. Remembrance must go hand in hand with action. By preserving historical memory and strengthening our collective resolve, we can ensure that the suffering endured by millions is neither forgotten nor repeated. Let us honour the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade not just with words, but with a renewed commitment to building a future where the rights and dignity of every person are fully protected and respected. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Cyprus. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation.

Madam.

President, the UN was established more than 80 years ago, and the purpose was to end the legitimacy of the racial supremacy theory and to confirm faith in the worth and dignity of a human being. in developing friendly relations between nations on the basis of the principle of equality and self-determination. We should not forget that during the horrible era of colonialism, what was the norm was the merciless exploitation of people from Africa, treating them as chattel. is notable that it was the colonial policy and practice, which expressed itself in slave trade, apartheid and other forms of racism, was the source and feeding ground for Nazism, which launched the most horrid world war in the history of humankind. The scope of slave trade, including the transatlantic slave trade, were so huge that it's very difficult to take them in and assess. The same applies to the burden which the era of colonial colonial conquest placed on the development of the African continent. It was in Africa that the first genocides of the 20th century took place. Nonetheless, the subjugators to date have not apologized to these people who suffered, much less paid their material compensation for inflicting intergenerational trauma. Russia played a key role in adopting in 1960 at the UN of the declaration on the granting independence to colonial countries and peoples, and extended every assistance to the Africans in the struggle of national liberation, creating their statehood and economy, ensuring their defense, preparing their national specialists. We laud the way they broke colonialism. And we pay a great deal of attention to reparatory policy of the continent, and we intend to work together with our African friends on this, including through the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. The issues of eradicating colonialism and new colonialism were at the core of the discussions that took place during the second Russia-Africa Ministerial Conference in Cairo in December last. Madam President, the only opportunity for us to avoid repeating the tragedies of the past is if we keep the memory of the historic truth. And that is why efforts to fight the falsification of history is one of the key areas of Russian foreign policy. In this regard, we would like our support to the draft resolution submitted by Ghana on behalf of the African group on the declaration on the transatlantic trade and racialized slave trade as a gravest crime against humanity. Um, we also support the decisions it made in February at the African Union Assembly, um, aimed at declaring slavery. deportation, colonization, and crimes against humanity and genocide against Africa. Colleagues, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is an opportunity for us to remember the fate of those who paid with their lives for the well-being and prosperity of colonial states. But our common efforts for historic justice should not boil down to just one date commemoration. They should be conducted permanently. We are convinced that the document for adoption today would be a milestone in this path and will contribute significantly to the strengthening of the international legal regime of fighting the ramifications of colonialism or racism and racial discrimination. I thank you for your attention.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Equatorial Guinea.

Your Excellency, Madam Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th session of the General Assembly, Secretary-General, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, my statement will align itself with the statement delivered by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana on behalf of Africa. Your Excellencies, President of Ghana, we would like to welcome you to New York and thank you for your statement on behalf of Equatorial Guinea. We would like to express to you our recognition for being here with us today at the General Assembly as we commemorate this important event, the commemoration of the International Day of victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. President, your presence here shows how important this event is for Africa, and it bears witness to the tireless efforts that Your Excellency has been making to ensure that the international community and this General Assembly can finally acknowledge this issue and adopt a declaration on the matter of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade and say that it is the most serious crime against humanity. Indeed, President, according to UNESCO, Between 15 and 20 million Africans were kidnapped and transported against their will from Africa towards North, Central and South America for some 400 years. Many died during their voyage. This widespread deportation effort and the subsequent effects has been considered to be one of the most heinous violations of human rights in the history of humanity. In adopting this declaration and through the relevant resolution, it will now be considered to be the most serious crime against humanity. The effects of this horrendous crime can still be seen in Africa, and the legacy of this continues to have repercussions today in the lives of persons of African descent around the world. Madam President, recognizing the past and building a future of dignity and justice, the theme for this commemoration, should lead us to take stock and to think about the sad, shameful legacy that was inflicted upon Africans. Those humans who were subjected to these crimes had little choice. Their only desire was not to die. On this day of commemoration, The Republic of Equatorial Guinea pays tribute to the some 5 million black women and men who were lost in the context of slavery. We pay tribute to all of those valiant fighters from many countries, Jamaica, Haiti, Peru, and the entire diaspora who were affected by these heinous crimes. Madam President, I would like to pay tribute to all of those who were able to build a memorial to honour the memory of those who perished in the context of the transatlantic slave trade, to honour all of those who paid with their lives. The President of Equatorial Guinea has also made a significant contribution to these memorial efforts. I conclude this statement, Madam President, by saying that we are all part of one family, one large family, which is the family of humanity. Within this family, there can be no place for discriminatory treatment against anyone. This year, as we mark the 100th year of the abolition of slavery at the League of Nations in 1926, we all need to honour the memory of those who perished. And we need to say that we must work together and say clearly, never again, never again can we tolerate this kind of discrimination. We are all part of the same family of humanity. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Equatorial Guinea. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Vietnam.

Madam President, Excellencies, Vietnam aligns itself with the statement delivered by Lebanon on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Group and wishes to make the following remarks in its national capacity. Today, we honour the memory of the millions of victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history. This history is marked not only by immense suffering and injustice, but also by enduring consequences that continue to resonate in various forms across societies today. We stand in solidarity with Africans and people of African descent who continue to bear the lasting impacts of this tragic legacy. In Vietnam, earlier chapters of our own history were also marked by profound suffering, loss, and the denial of fundamental rights under brutal colonialism. While each nation's experience is unique, many of us share a common understanding of the importance of preserving historical memory and upholding human dignity. As former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan once reminded us, I quote, "We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race." End of quote. This simple yet powerful truth calls upon us to act with empathy, solidarity, and a shared sense of responsibility. To truly honor the past, we must confront it with honesty, humility, learn from it, and translate remembrance into meaningful action. Justice is not only about reckoning with history, it is about the choices we make today. To that end, we must uphold international human rights framework, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. We must also invest in education, promote dialogue and cooperation, and address the lasting consequences of slavery and the slave trade, including through resolute efforts to combat racism and discrimination in all its forms. Honoring the past must guide us towards a more just and inclusive future for all, where dignity is protected, equality is realized, and such tragedies are never repeated. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Vietnam. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela.

Thank you, President. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela welcomes the statements of those who took part in the opening segment of this meeting. We also welcome the participation of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, at this meeting. We would also like to pay tribute to the memory of all of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, including their descendants. Today we need to recognize the suffering of the millions of people who were forcibly removed from their lands and taken away from their families and subjected to inhumane treatment. We also need to acknowledge, in this context, the resistance, dignity and the struggle of those, in the midst of such barbarism, who defended their humanity and handed down an example of strength and resilience. The commemoration of this International Day also reminds us that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance are not relics of the past, which have not been fully overcome today. President, for our country, remembering this historic crime is not just an exercise of memory. It is first and foremost a moral and political duty. Nationally, Venezuela has promoted initiatives such as the establishment of a presidential commission for historic truth, justice and reparation on the issue of colonial domination and its consequences. At the United Nations, Within the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter, we pushed forward the adoption of resolution 80/116, which established 14 December as the International Day against Colonialism in all of its forms and manifestations. We take this opportunity to recognize the leadership of the African Union and the Republic of Ghana at the helm of this draft resolution on the declaration of transatlantic slave trade and racialized slavery of Africans as one of the most heinous crimes against humanity, which will shortly be considered by this General Assembly. Our country has supported this draft resolution from the very beginning, and we invite all delegations to support this initiative by voting in favor of it. We conclude by stressing that will only be genuine justice served when there is truth, reparation, dignity for the peoples affected, and a strong determination to eradicate all contemporary forms of colonialism, racism, and exclusion. Thank you very much, President.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of France.

President, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished colleagues, I quote, "Recognizing slavery and the transatlantic slave trade perpetrated from the 15th century onwards in the Americas, the Caribbean, and in the Indian Ocean and Europe against African, Native American, Malagasy, and Indian peoples are a crime against humanity. It is in these words that France, the first country in the world, officially recognized this crime 25 years ago. unambiguously through a law that carries the name of its author, Christiane Taubira, and which touches on the ideals of justice, fraternity and solidarity, which are the basis of the United Nations. The abomination of slavery affected tens of millions of men, women and children for centuries, riding roughshod over their human rights and denying dignity. We commemorate with you the memory of the victims of this barbarism and the memory of those who fought it, the memory of those who worked to see it abolished. In this sinister litany of crimes that humanity has inflicted on itself, the Shoah, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and mass murders, yes. Slavery and the slave trade should be recognized for what they were, an abomination. Recognizing the truth of history and the duty of memory is what we need to do here at the UN. In order for the memory of slavery and the slave trade to be better understood and better well known, we must support the work of historians. We must counter denialism and the fake news on social media, which is the new cancer of our time. France is fully committed to do this by working also with our overseas territories and with the African diasporas and our African partners. In 2019, we set up a foundation for the memory of slavery, and we will shortly be inaugurating in Paris the national memory for victims of slavery at the very place where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. We are setting up by national commissions of historians who are responsible for looking into our common past, for instance, with Haiti. We will continue to support the work in this regard of the UN, such as the UNESCO network of places of history and memory. We must redouble efforts to combat racism and modern forms of slavery, which are universal struggles. We must enforce the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and we must continue this struggle even in the digital domain, where hate speech can flourish. At a time when forced labour, domestic slavery, sexual exploitation and migrant trafficking are rife, we need to ensure respect for the relevant ILO conventions and the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime. France supports the drafting of an international convention in this domain. President, the duty of civilization means that we must unashamedly combat the instincts of violence and destruction that humanity can harbor. Remembering the horrors of slavery and the slave trade is not just honoring the memory of the victims, it is also protecting the world and humanity. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative for France. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ethiopia.

Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. I thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this important meeting. My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by Ghana on behalf of the Africa Group. Ethiopia joins the international community in solemn remembrance of millions of African men, women, and children who were subjected to the horrors of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. This day stands as a reminder of the gravest crime against humanity and historical injustices. The tragedy of slavery stripped generations of their humanity. The transatlantic slave trade and the colonialism represent two of history's most extensive crimes against humanity, leaving legacies that continue to adversely influence Africa's contemporary socioeconomic landscape and development trajectory. Slavery, apart from its cruel, extractive nature, it disrupted social systems and fundamentally reconfigured economies, governance structures, and the cultural institutions across Africa and beyond. As we reflect on this painful chapter, we underscore the importance of education through telling and the preservation of historical memory. We are of the view that acknowledging this gravest crime against humanity is crucial for honouring the victims and also for compensating with reparation for the atrocities committed. Addressing the structural and historical roots of inequality, including the socioeconomic consequences that continue to affect people of Africa and African descent, particularly, is important. Commemoration, therefore, must go beyond retrospective remembrance. It must serve as a call to confront the living consequences with courage. In the same vein, Ethiopia commends the leadership of Ghana on behalf of the Africa Group for successfully tabling the draft resolution, the declaration of the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. In conclusion, we pay tribute to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, and also to those courageous abolitionists who fought to stop such atrocities. We hope this day would serve as a first step to renew our collective determination to rectifying the damage and the build already founded on the inherent dignity of all humanity. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Ethiopia. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Guinea.

Mr. President, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, my delegation aligns itself with the statement made on behalf of the African Group, and we extend congratulations to His Excellency Mr. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, who is an advocate for justice and reparations of Africans. We thank him for his leadership on this cause, sadly an inheritance of more than 2 billion people in the world. Enslavement and the transatlantic trade is a dark chapter of our common history. And this has spread to several continents and continues to date to deeply affect our societies. For four centuries, anywhere between 12 to 20 millions of Africans have their lives destroyed through an odious system which anchored the capture, deportations, or racialized enslavement at the heart of their state. In the history of humanity, no crime has accumulated at the same time the same number of victims, duration, commodification, dehumanization as was done by slavery and transatlantic trade. No crime produced consequences which were as lasting, in particular, the large-scale destruction of African societies, enshrining racialized inequalities, which unfortunately continue to be the structure of many ways of thinking, including in international relations. It's essential to reject these ways of outdated thinking and to redouble our efforts to fight against all kinds of enslavement, racism, systematic inequality, and structural injustice. Mr. President, On this day of remembrance, it is our duty to reaffirm our collective commitment to intensify our efforts to recognize the historic truth and to undertake measures to provide reparations for crimes. This is not so as to reopen historic divisions, but to recognize reality and the scope of this tragedy. and to make sure that justice is done. And this is begun by recognizing facts. Reparation and justice measures have to be extended to education and awareness raising, especially through our forward-looking governance systems which protect human rights, which used to exist in African societies and were deliberately weakened and destroyed by slavery. In this regard, the Kouroukan Fuga Charter or the Mandinka Charter, proclaimed in 1236, have already provided the major principles of social organization and enshrined human rights, in particular the right to life, and the preservation of physical integrity of everyone, and the participation of women in decision-making. To conclude, my delegation would like to, on behalf of the President of Guinea, reiterate its congratulations to the Republic of Ghana for the efforts which resulted in submitting to our Assembly a draft resolution on trafficking and racial enslavement. And we urge all delegations to endorse this resolution, because by doing this, we will be reaffirming our commitment to liberty, justice, and the respect of human dignity. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Guinea. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Colombia.

President, Colombia thanks you for convening this plenary session commemorating the International Day to Commemorate the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This forum is particularly relevant within a global context where There are narratives that are resurging that aim to deny the past, to play down its effects, or to dehumanize people based on race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or religion. I would like to quote President Gustavo Petro. There is just one humanity, and we can overcome the current problems of our time, the climate crisis and poverty, by beginning with a dialogue between civilizations who acknowledge their differences. Slavery, the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism are matters that left scars that still remain. In Colombia, we are well aware of the significance of these issues. They are part of our identity, our struggles and our commitments. Indeed, confronting history means that we must assess the past honestly. to identify discriminatory structures that still persist, and we need to work together to dismantle them. In this regard, Colombia welcomes the declaration that Ghana has proposed, and we decided to support it as an expression of our commitment to historic justice and to ensure that persons of African descent can fully claim their rights. In order to advance with dignity, we need to acknowledge the ways and forms of exclusion that particularly affected indigenous peoples and persons of African descent, migrants, women, and other historically marginalized people. Recognizing these realities is an essential step to move towards public policies and international frameworks that can promote dignity, meaningful equality and justice for everyone. In addition, empowering futures means that we need to beef up multilateral mechanisms and cooperation mechanisms to close the gaps and also to rethink how we relate with each other as regions and as peoples. With this in mind, Colombia convened the high-level forum between ECLAC and Africa that was held in Bogota, where we started a bi-regional conversation on how we can redesign our means of cooperation, trade, mobility, and knowledge. That meeting showed that in spite of our differences, we are just one humanity. And our regions can build joint solutions to achieve sustainable development, historic justice, digital equality, health, the energy transition, and can strengthen our institutions. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Colombia. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Haiti.

Mr. President, your excellencies, ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen, Haiti welcomes the holding of this commemorative meeting on the abolition of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. For us in Haiti, this more than just a symbol, the state. This is a duty of memory for us, a moral obligation and a collective responsibility. We fully align ourselves with the statement made by the President of the Republic of Ghana and with the statements made by GRULAC and CARICOM. Mr. President, there are silences that carry across centuries. Silence is heavy with chains, with suffering and shattered lives. Today, as we take the floor, we do not want to speak only for ourselves, but we want to speak on behalf of all of those whom history has silenced for too long. Women, men, children torn from their land, stripped of their names, their dignity, and their humanity. Today we speak so that they may never again be forgotten. The transatlantic slave trade was not merely a tragedy. It was an organized enterprise of dehumanization. For more than four centuries, millions of Africans were reduced to the status of merchandise, bodies were chained, lives were just numbers, existences were denied, and yet, even in the deepest darkness, human dignity never disappeared. And Haiti is living proof of this. Over 220 years ago, women and men, those who were said to have no voice, no rights, and no future, defied the world order. Not just to break their chains, they broke an idea, the idea according to which some human beings were born to rule and others to be ruled and dominated. And they affirmed at the cost of their blood a simple and universal truth, namely that human dignity has no color. Katie says today very clearly that our fight against racism cannot be candid and sincere unless it's accompanied by justice. And every time a child crosses a border in fear, every time one life is deemed less worthy than another, every time history is forgotten, it's a part of the same tragedy which continues. This is a fairly simple truth, but it seems to have forgotten. Haiti was born out of rejection, rejection of slavery, rejection of racism, rejection of the denial of humanity. And today, it stands before you with an unbroken conviction. The world imagined by those women and men in 1804, a world of equality and dignity, has yet to be achieved. I thank you for your attention.

I thank the distinguished representative of Haiti. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Namibia.

Mr. President, my delegation

welcomes the convening of this commemorative meeting of the General Assembly to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Namibia aligns itself with the statement delivered by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana and African Union Champion on advancing the cause of justice and the payment of reparations to Africans on behalf of the African states. My delegation wishes to recognize with appreciation the participation of Ms. Esther Phillips, first Poet Laureate of Barbados, and Ms. Shahada Jaq, first youth poet laureate of Toronto, Canada, in this commemorative meeting. Your insightful and moving words added a significant value to our discussion, and we are grateful for your contributions. Mr. President, my delegation commends Ghana for a courage and leadership in advancing our shared commitment to addressing historical injustices committed against Africans and the people of African descent through transatlantic enslavement, colonialism, and apartheid, as well as the inequities that persist in the international economic and political orders. We recall that The atrocities of slavery, the slave trade, colonialism, apartheid, racial segregation, subjugation, and the exploitation of resources denied and violated the humanity and dignity of Africans and people of African descent. Their legacies are not confined to the past, as their social, economic, and cultural consequences continue to be experienced to this day.

This year's commemoration is particularly significant

due to the introduction of the resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as a gravest crime against humanity. This resolution offers the international community the collective moment of reflection on enduring legacies of slavery and affirms the African Union's commitment to reparatory justice, historical accountability, and healing of Africans and for the people of African descent. Excellencies, although the international community formally committed itself over a century ago to end slave trade, including through decolonization efforts and the codification of human rights, justice remains incomplete. In particular, gaps persist in legal accountability for colonial wrongs and in addressing the transgenerational social, economic, and cultural harm inflicted on our peoples, communities, and countries. This resolution, therefore, represents an important multilateral step in advancing truth, remembrance, learning, and collective moral responsibility, while keeping open pathways for continued dialogue on reparatory justice. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Namibia. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Nigeria.

Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, Nigeria aligns itself with the statement delivered by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, on behalf of the African group and for his leadership in the discourse on this important issue. and in our national capacity, underscore the historic importance of this event. We join the global community in the spirit of profound solemnity to honor the memory of the millions of African men, women, children who were victims of the transatlantic slave trade. This was not merely a dark chapter in history. It was a 400-year crime against humanity that fundamentally altered the trajectory of the African continent and the modern world. For Nigeria, this remembrance is personal. The shores from which our ancestors were taken are not merely geographical or geographic markers. They are sacred sites of memory, resilience, and unfinished justice. Confronting history requires history. The transatlantic slave trade was a systemic engine of exploitation to foil the industrial and economic rise of distant shores. Nigeria, therefore, maintains that true justice begins with a global curriculum that accurately reflects this history ensuring that the roots of systemic racism and prejudices are identified and dismantled at their sources. Mr. President, advancing dignity is at the heart of our collective responsibility. As we navigate the International Decade for People of African Descent, we must recognize that the broken bones of slavery have manifested in modern society in systemic marginalization and racial profiling. Therefore, combating modern slavery is essential by eradicating contemporary forms of servitude, including human trafficking, which continue to stain our global conscience. Nigeria stands in solidarity with the people of African descent and calls on all Member States to support the resolution to be tabled today. Supporting and voting in favour of this resolution is a roll call of conscience, reflecting where Member States stand in confronting racism and advancing the reconciliation of historical injustices. Mr. President, in conclusion, We should not let this day end in reflection alone, but it should mark a renewed resolve, a collective commitment to transform memory into action, injustice into equity, and pain into purpose. In doing so, we affirm not only the dignity of those who were lost, but the promise of those who carry their legacy forward. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Nigeria. I now give the floor to the observer of the observer state of the Holy See.

President, on this International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the Holy See delegation joins others in honoring the memory of the millions of people who were victims of enslavement. The Holy See unequivocally condemns slavery, including in its modern forms. The call for remembrance today is a reminder to all states of their duty to uphold historical truth and ensure legal accountability. As Pope Leo stated, "Since apostolic times, the Church has seen the liberation of the oppressed as a sign of the Kingdom of God. This mission of liberation has continued throughout the centuries through concrete actions, especially when the tragedy of slavery and imprisonment has marked entire societies. These convictions have been expressed in numerous papal documents, for example, As early as 1435, Pope Eugene IV condemned the enslavement of the inhabitants of the Canary Islands and excommunicated those who refused to free them. Subsequently, in 1888, Pope Leo XIII condemned slavery as contrary to the Christian values recalling that God, having created man a reasonable being and after his own likeness, he wished that he should rule only over the brute creation and not be the master of man. Mr. President, the draft declaration under consideration contains a partial narrative which regrettably does not serve the cause of truth. Historical memory, when based on accurate and impartial historical information, together with education and awareness raising, plays a fundamental role in preventing the recurrence of such grave scourges of humanity. At the same time, it is important to reaffirm that under international law, modern slavery constitutes a crime against humanity, when committed as a part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population. Therefore, the Holy See reaffirms that no one should be held in slavery or servitude, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Mr. President, allow me to conclude with the words of Pope Leo, who reminded us that the freedom that Christ gave us is not only interior. It manifests itself in history as love that cares for and frees us from every bond of slavery. Thank you.

I thank the observer of the observer state of the Holy See. I now give the floor to the observer of the International Authority on Development.

Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, Excellencies, and distinguished delegates, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of His Excellency Dr. Werken Agabio, the Executive Secretary of IGAD. And I would like to confirm that my delegation aligns with the statement made by the Republic of Ghana on behalf of African states. We gather today in remembrance of a history that reshaped humanity. The transatlantic slave trade scattered families, separated generations, and disrupted the very foundation of human society. Millions were taken. Communities were broken. Human dignity was denied on a scale that continues to defy global realities. Its consequences did not end. They remain present. Across generations, many still live with the weight of that history, through inequality, through limited opportunities, and through systems that continue to reflect those imbalances. Mr. President, although we cannot change the past, We carry full responsibility for how its consequences are addressed. That responsibility is not symbolic. It is practical, and it is immediate. Today, nearly 50 million people are living in condition of modern-day slavery, throughout labor, human trafficking, and exploitation that continues in different forms. This reality calls for a clarity of purpose, Human dignity must be protected, consistent and without exception. Excellencies, Africa's history reflects both of suffering and strength. From the shores where millions were taken to moments like Adwa, where dignity was defended with determination, our one principle remains constant. Dignity endures and it demands recognition. Mr. President, the theme before us, Justice in action, confronting history, advancing dignity, empowering future, calls for a steady and deliberated progress. It calls for implementation. It calls for partnership. It calls for accountability. As the Executive Secretary of IGAD has emphasized, justice gains meaning when action reflects memory. Excellencies, the United Nation provides the framework, member states provide the leadership, And together, progress becomes possible. Sustained implementation of commitment is essential. Continued cooperation is necessary. And shared responsibility must remain at the center of our effort. Mr. President, this day is a day of what humanity has endured. It is also a reminder of what humanity can correct. Through consistent effort, through principled action, and through collective resolve, we can continue to advance dignity and inclusion. Let this be a moment that strengthens that direction. And I thank you.

I thank the observer of the International Authority on Development. We have heard the last speaker in this commemorative meeting. The Assembly has thus concluded its commemorative meeting to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Action on the draft resolution submitted under this item will take place after the collection of the ballots for the appointment of members of the Board of the 10-year framework of programs on sustainable consumption and production patterns. The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 119. The Assembly will consider sub-item 1 of agenda item 115, entitled Appointment of Members of the Board of the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns. Members will recall that the Assembly, by its resolution 67/203 of 21 December 2012, decided to establish the 10-member Board, consisting of two members from each United Nations regional group, In its decision 67/564 of 16 September 2013, the Assembly decided that regional groups shall be authorized to nominate new members of the Board. Furthermore, by its resolution 69/214 of 19 December 2014, the Assembly decided that the duration of subsequent terms for members of the Board shall continue to be two years. starting on 16 September of every second year, and that the United Nations regional groups may nominate one of their existing two members of the Board for one consecutive term, while ensuring that no member state is eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms, and taking into account the importance of ensuring continuity and rotation in the work of the Board. Members still Members will also recall that in its decision 78/418-A of 13 August 2024, the Assembly decided that the two-year term of the members of the Board shall begin on 21 March 2024, the date of their appointment, taking into account resolution 69/214 of 19 December 2014. The Assembly subsequently appointed members of the Board for terms ending on 20 March 2026. Consequently, the Assembly needs to appoint 10 members of the Board for a new term of office. Bearing in mind the provisions of resolution 69/214, As outlined above, I propose that the new two-year term of the members of the board shall begin on the date of their appointment, that is today, 25 March 2026. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to proceed accordingly? It is so decided. In view of the request made at the 73rd Plenary Meeting held on 10 March 2026, the Assembly will now proceed to this appointment by secret ballot. With regard to the candidatures, I should like to inform Members of the following nominations by regional groups. For the two seats from among the African States, only one endorsed State has been communicated, namely the Republic of South Africa. For the two seats from among the Asia-Pacific States, only one State has been communicated, namely India. For the two seats from among the Eastern European States, two states have been communicated, namely Hungary and the Russian Federation. For the two seats from among the Latin American and Caribbean states, the following two endorsed states have been communicated, namely Barbados and Mexico. For the two seats from among the Western European and other states, The following two endorsed states have been communicated, namely Finland and Germany. Before we begin the voting process, I should like to remind members that, pursuant to rule 88 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order on the actual conduct of the voting. Any announcements, including those concerning withdrawals of candidatures, should therefore be made prior to the commencement of the voting process. That is to say, before the announcement of the beginning of the voting process. In addition, ballot papers will only be given to the delegates seated directly behind the country's nameplate. We shall now begin the voting process. Ballot papers marked A, B, C, D, and E will now be distributed, and the voting has thus begun. In accordance with Resolution 71/323 of 8 September 2017, the names of the States that have been communicated to the Secretariat at least 48 hours prior to the election today have been printed on the ballot papers for each of the regional groups. Only those candidates nominated by the regional groups are eligible for this appointment. And are indicated on the ballot paper. I request representatives to use only those ballot papers that have been distributed and to put an X in the ballot boxes next to the names of states whom they wish to vote for. There shall be no write-ins. A blank ballot paper will be considered an abstention. If a ballot paper contains any notation other than votes in favor of eligible member states, those notations will be disregarded. I invite the representative the representatives of the following states to serve as tellers and to accompany the conference officers as they collect the ballot papers. Brunei Darussalam, Ecuador, Italy, Lesotho, Montenegro, and Sweden. I invite the representatives of the flowing states to serve as tellers and to accompany the conference officers as they collect the ballot papers. Brunei Darussalam, Ecuador, Italy, Lesotho, Montenegro, and Sweden. Please proceed to collect the ballot papers. May I request delegations who have not voted to do so now by approaching the podium to cast their votes. The voting is now closed. No more ballot papers will be accepted. In the interest of time, the Assembly will now proceed to consider the other items announced in the United Nations General while the ballots are being counted. The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of sub-item 1 of agenda item 115. The Assembly will resume its consideration of agenda item 119, entitled Commemoration of the Abolition of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, to take action on a proposal announced in the journal. I give the floor to His Excellency Samuel Ofori Addo Abblakwa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ghana, on behalf of the African Group, to introduce draft resolution A/80/L/21.

The President of the General Assembly, Your Excellencies, Permanent Representatives, Distinguished Delegates, Today, we gather in solemn reflection on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. a day when humanity pauses to remember millions of women, men, and children whose lives were stolen, whose dignity was denied, and whose humanity was questioned, yet whose resilience reshaped the moral arc of our shared history. This day is not merely an act of remembrance; it is a call to conscience. It reminds us that memory without action risks becoming silent, And silence has never been the ally of justice. Your Excellencies, in September 2025, during the general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the President of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, announced that Ghana will introduce a draft resolution entitled Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. Six months to this very day, I have the distinct honor to present this resolution to the General Assembly on behalf of the African Group. This resolution does not create legal hierarchies of crime, as some have wrongly suggested. Neither is it about reopening history. It is about completing history. It does not target individual states, nor does it seek division. Rather, it establishes a principled framework for reconciliation grounded in truth. At its heart, this draft resolution is forward-looking and unifying. It is focused on truth, remembrance, education, and dialogue. It is grounded not in retribution, but in moral recognition. And it is intended to strengthen global efforts to combat racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia in all its forms. Excellencies, its objectives are clear: to provide formal and unequivocal recognition within the United Nations system of the world-breaking and world-redefining impact of the enslavement of Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans and people of African descent, to affirm their enduring consequences, not only for Africa and the people of African descent, but all of humanity, to reinforce ongoing global efforts toward reparatory justice through dialogue and cooperation, and to strengthen international solidarity in the fight against systemic racism and historical denialism. Distinguished delegates, the African Group expresses its sincere appreciation to all delegations for their constructive engagement throughout the negotiations. We believe that the present draft reflects the broadest possible views of Member States on this important issue. Regrettably, legal technicalities and procedural arguments have been invoked to once again silence voices, to bury history, obscure clarity, and to prevent this noble institution from speaking plainly and firmly But history does not disappear when ignored. Truth does not weaken when delayed. Crime does not rot, as we say in Africa. And justice does not expire with time. In affirming this declaration, we do more than honor memories. We strengthen the very foundations of justice upon which the United Nations was built. We affirm that human dignity is indivisible, that suffering must be acknowledged, and that reconciliation begins with truth courageously spoken. Your Excellencies, the founder of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, proclaimed, quote, "Slavery was not born of racism, rather racism was a consequence of slavery. With this racial twist was invented the myth of color inferiority." Your Excellencies, the generation that founded this organization emerged from the ashes of global tragedy and pledged that humanity would never again look away from crimes that shock the conscience of humankind. Today, we are called to uphold that promise. The African group, our co-sponsors, CARICOM, CELAC, our broad coalition of people with good conscience, including the NAACP, the Congressional Black Caucus, members of parliament in the House of Commons, and other places are sending a very clear message. They are calling upon all Member States to stand on the right side of history and in our shared humanity to vote in favour of this resolution. And in doing so, reaffirm not only the past we remember, but the future we seek to build together, a future of social justice, a future of equality, and a future of mutual respect for human life. I thank you very much, Your Excellencies.

I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ghana. We shall now proceed to consider draft resolution A/80/L.48. I give the floor to the representative of the Secretariat.

Thank you, Mr. President. The present oral statement is made in the context of rule 153 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly. The present statement has also been distributed to member states. The request contained in operative paragraph 15 of the draft resolution would constitute an addition to the workload of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Department for the General Assembly and Conference Management in 2027 and entail additional resource requirements, net of staff assessment, in the amount of $117,700 in 2027. Detailed cost estimates and their underlying assumptions for the requirements are provided in the annex to this statement, which has been circulated. Accordingly, should the General Assembly adopt the draft resolution, L48, additional resource requirements estimated in the amount of $117,700 net of staff assessment, would be included in the proposed program budget for 2027 under section 2, General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference management, and section 24, human rights for the consideration of the General Assembly at its 81st session. In addition, an amount of $12,800 would be included under section 36, staff assessment to be offset by an equivalent amount under income section 1, income from staff assessment. Thank you, Mr. President.

I thank the representative of the Secretariat. For your information, the draft resolution has closed for e-sponsorship. I give the floor to the representative of the Secretariat.

Mr. President, I should like I should like to announce that since the submission of the draft resolution, and in addition to the delegations listed on the L document, the following countries have also become co-sponsors of A/80/L.48: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Haiti, Maldives, Pakistan, Saint Lucia, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, and the State of Palestine. If any other countries wish to co-sponsor L48, please signify by pressing the microphone button now. I see Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Cameroon, although Cameroon is already on the L document. That concludes additional co-sponsorship. Thank you, Mr. President.

Before giving the floor for explanations of vote before the vote, may I remind delegations that they are strongly urged to limit explanations of vote to five minutes, which should in any case not exceed 10 minutes and be made from their seats. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United States.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The United States remains steadfast in its opposition and condemnation of historic wrongs that resulted from the transatlantic slave trade, the trans-Saharan slave trade, and all other forms of slavery. We remain committed to the acknowledgment that these historical wrongs Despite this, the United States observes that the text of this resolution remains highly problematic in countless respects. Consequently, the United States cannot support the adoption of this resolution. We regret that the United States once again remind this body that the United Nations exists to maintain international peace and security. It was not founded to advance narrow, specific interests and agendas, to establish niche international days, or to create new costly meeting and reporting mandates. This resolution does all three. The United States has defined longstanding objectives to the framing of reparatory justice and the duty of reparation for historical wrongs. While we acknowledge the horrors of the past, we do not accept this resolution's assertion that historical facts from the 15th through 19th century constitute violations of jus cogens, as the term is understood in contemporary international law. The United States also does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred. In addition to its obvious legal problems, this resolution is also unclear as to who the recipients of reparatory justice would be. The drafters and supporters of this resolution seem to believe it is them. The United States strongly objects to the cynical usage of historical wrongs as a leverage point in an attempt to reallocate modern resources to people and nations who are distantly related to the historical victims. As stated at the outset of these negotiations, the United States also strongly objects to the resolution's attempt to rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy. The assertion that some crimes against humanity are less severe than others objectively diminishes the suffering of countless victims and survivors of other atrocities throughout history. This is not a competition. This attempted ranking is also simply incorrect as a matter of law. The United States would also like to express disappointment in the arbitrary historical perspective of the text. Trafficking in African slaves began long before the 15th century and sadly continued even after the 19th. These dates were clearly selected for political reasons rather than historical accuracy. All trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans deserve to be condemned, not merely the political expedient. Also, there are some fake news articles suggesting that the sponsors of this resolution called into question President Trump's support of the black community. We reject any such suggestions. Indeed, President Trump has done more for black Americans than any other president and enjoyed historic support from the black community in the 2024 election. He is working tirelessly to deliver for them and make our country greater than ever. Finally, we must express our deep disappointment regarding the process that led to this text. Throughout drafting, the United States and other delegations offered constructive contributions aimed at aligning the text with established international legal frameworks. These contributions were ignored. For these reasons, the United States will vote no on this resolution. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the United States. I now give the floor to the representative of Cyprus on behalf of the European Union.

Thank you, Chair. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states. The candidate countries, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as San Marino, align themselves with this statement. We welcome the African Union's initiative in advancing a dedicated resolution to one of the most heinous episodes in human history. The transatlantic slave trade remains an unparalleled tragedy which lasted for over three centuries and involved unspeakable atrocities, affecting millions of Africans. It cannot and should not be forgotten. At the seventh summit of the African Union and the European Union, last November in Angola, European and African leaders jointly recognized and profoundly regretted the untold suffering inflicted on millions of people as a result of the slave trade, colonialism, and apartheid. The EU is committed to shedding light on the history of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, as well as their causes, consequences, and lasting impacts. It is our collective responsibility to learn from the wrongs of the past. we have to address their enduring effects by removing barriers and tackling disparities that still hinder equal participation in society by the descendants of those affected. The EU is actively engaged across all relevant fora, including via the EU-AU human rights dialogue process, to make progress on this issue. We acknowledge that further efforts are necessary, and we stand ready to continue working with partners in this direction. The recently adopted EU anti-racist strategy underscores the continued relevance of tackling the legacy of slavery, making this an important element on the fight against structural racism. This resolution was presented as a forward-looking and unifying process. It offered a meaningful opportunity to foster unity among UN member states to jointly address an issue of paramount importance for all. Regrettably, we were not able to reach a consensual outcome in the short time frame allocated to negotiations. We also regret that the proponents of the resolution did not reconsider their approach, despite our repeated calls for more openness to constructive comments. Chair, we regret that our key concerns were not adequately reflected in the final text. We are concerned that this will send the wrong message on an issue where we do not fundamentally disagree. We were prepared to support a text that emphasizes the scale of the atrocity of the transatlantic slave trade, the importance of remembrance, and the need to continue combating slavery in its contemporary forms. Instead, the text before us raises a number of legal and factual concerns that we cannot overlook. First, The use of superlatives in the context of crimes against humanity is not legally accurate, such as the use of "gravest" in the title and throughout the text, which implies a hierarchy among atrocity crimes, when no legal hierarchy between crimes against humanity exists. It risks undermining the harm suffered by all victims of these crimes and lacks legal clarity crucial for ensuring accountability. We firmly reject introducing ambiguity in this respect. Second, The selective inclusion of lengthy historical and contentious references to regional jurisprudence and selective and unbalanced interpretation of historical events, such as in preamble paragraphs 21 and 23, is at odds with accepted UN practice, as well as the stated universal and forward-looking objective of this initiative. It risks creating divisions when unity is both necessary and achievable. The role of the General Assembly is not to substitute itself to the academic debate amongst historians. Third, we are also concerned by certain legal references and assertions that are either inaccurate or inconsistent with international law. This includes suggestions of a retroactive application of international rules which were nonexistent at the time and claims for reparations, which is incompatible with established principles of international law. The principle of non-retroactivity, a fundamental cornerstone of the international legal order, must be strictly upheld. References to claims for reparations also lack a sound legal basis. Any framework for reparatory justice must be grounded in existing multilateral instruments. For these reasons, the member states of the European Union regret that they are not in a position to support resolution A/80/L.48. repeating our strongest condemnation of the slave trade and reaffirming our genuine commitment that we have demonstrated through concrete domestic and international action, we are compelled to abstain, solely out of profound respect for the subject matter and its complexities. This abstention should not be interpreted as leniency toward these apparent practices, nor in any case as acceptance of or acquiescence to the legal formulations in the text. We reserve our full position on these matters in all current and future relevant processes. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Cyprus on behalf of the European Union. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Nicaragua.

President. Nicaragua would like to thank Ghana and Africa for presenting this resolution, which has true historic, moral and political relevance for peoples who were victims of invasion, occupation and European conquest that led to colonialism, slavery, the looting of natural resources and the subsequent suffering from this genocide perpetrated against our people. destroying cultures, that the European invaders, with their limited knowledge, did not possess the capacity to understand the social, philosophical and spiritual structures thereof, which led to barbarism and the extermination of entire peoples. For the people of our Americas, this memory is an inherent part of our determination to be free and never slaves. Nicaragua, in its struggle against colonialism, abolished slavery and its atrocities in 1821. And we recognize that the transatlantic slave trade of our African brothers and sisters and racialized slavery were one of the most cruel manifestations in history, whose scars continue to be present up till today. In our continent, slavery, colonial violence, looting, the denial of dignity and the denial of the rights of peoples and displacement led to the loss of millions of lives and left deep-seated historic consequences that still remain today, even centuries later, in our countries. Nicaragua therefore believes that this resolution should be understood in the broadest historical context, consistent with the position that the General Assembly has taken on the urgent need to put an end once and for all to colonialism and neocolonialism, and also the need to continue affirming people's rights to self-determination and to uphold their ancestral values. President. Nicaragua will vote in favor of the resolution as a result of its political, moral, and historical weight. We also note that Nicaragua is not party to the Rome Statute, and that instrument doesn't have a universal nature, and nor indeed are we party to the ICC, and we don't recognize the jurisdiction of that court and that is why we disassociate from PP 27. We also recognize the importance of the fact that the African Union, our community of Latin American and Caribbean states and CARICOM have been working with the United Nations on this critical issue. We also would like to express our gratitude to those who struggled to see the abolition of slavery to the Haitian people and their historic contribution as they were the first republic in our in our region to be free from slavery and to reach independence in 1804. They abolished slavery and they showed the way for other countries. Decades Later, Frederick Douglass said, and I quote, "If there is no struggle, there is no progress." President, we reaffirm our solidarity with all of the victims of slavery, racism, and discrimination, and we make clear our commitment to historic truth. dignity of victims and the need for the international community to continue to address these crimes in order for there to be historic justice, redress and dignity, given the consequences and the legacy of slavery, the slave trade and colonialism. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Nicaragua. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of France.

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, France would like to explain its vote. The abomination of slavery was active for centuries and impacted tens of millions of women, children, and men. undermining the very principle of human dignity. Given the tragedy that the transatlantic slave trade and slavery represented, we need to face this history and recognize that it is a truthful fact, and for France, shoulder its share of that truth, including refusing to forget that. And that is why for several decades, we have been mobilizing itself to make sure that the memory of slavery, its victims, and those who fought it be preserved through the law known by its drafter, Ms. Christiane Taubira, passed 25 years ago. We were the first country in the world to officially recognize and to do so strongly and without any ambiguity the fact that the trade and the enslavement perpetrated since the 15th century in the Americas, in the Caribbean, in the Indian Ocean, and in Europe against the African, American, Indian, Malagasy, and Indian populations was a crime against humanity." End of quote. We support the work done by historians and strengthen our cultural and educational cooperation in this regard. In 2019, we created a foundation for the memory of slavery, which works to move forward the historic knowledge therein and to keep the memory of victims, those who fought for abolition, contributing to fight against racism and discrimination in our contemporary societies. Very soon, we will inaugurate the National Memorial to the Victims of Slavery in Paris, at the very place where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. Mr. President, as was done by our partners of the European Union, France will abstain on voting on the text, because we think that the resolution proposed gives rise to a number of difficulties under international law. We refer you in this regard to the declaration that has just been made on behalf of by the European Union and its member states. We regret also the fact that this resolution seems to establish a hierarchy amongst crimes against humanity. This gives rise to serious legal difficulties. In addition to that, it runs the risk of creating a competition against historic tragedies which should not be compared. And what is done, it's done to the detriment of the memory of victims. at the time when the United Nations is working on the development of a new international convention on the prevention and suppression of crimes against humanity. It seems to us important to recall that any and all resolution from the General Assembly has to be centered in international law and a universal approach to human rights. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of France. We have had the last speaker in explanation of vote before the vote. The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/80/L.48, entitled "Declaration on the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as a gravest crime against humanity". A recorded vote has been requested. We shall now begin the voting process. Those in favor of the draft resolution A/80/L48, please signify. Those against and those in abstention.

The Assembly is now voting on draft resolution A/80/L.48, entitled "Declaration of the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as a gravest crime against humanity". Will all delegations confirm that their votes are accurately reflected on the screen? The voting has been completed. Please lock the machine.

The result of the vote. The result of the vote is as follows: in favor, 123; against, 3; abstentions, 52. Therefore, draft resolution A/80/L.48 is adopted. Before giving the floor for explanations of vote after the vote, May I remind delegations that they are strongly asked to limit explanations of vote to five minutes, which should in any case not exceed 10 minutes and be made from their seats. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Trinidad and Tobago.

Thank you, Chair, Excellencies. I have the honor I have the honor to deliver a statement on behalf of the 14 member states of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, an explanation of our vote. CARICOM voted in support of this resolution because of our historical attachment to the issue of the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the racialized chattel enslavement of Africans. The recognition today by those member states that supported this resolution and the declaration is a critical first step towards redressing the injustices perpetuated over the 400 years of the transatlantic slave trade. In this vein, CARICOM remains a strong advocate for the advancement of reparatory justice for the historical atrocities perpetuated against our forebears during the period of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade. as well as the persistent legacies thereof. CARICOM therefore reiterates our support in principle for this initiative undertaken by Ghana on behalf of the African Union to advance the issue of reparatory justice. Given the importance of this issue, CARICOM stresses that implementation of the resolution must be done in a collaborative manner and in full partnership with the entire membership. Kyriakou commits to contributing to taking forward the implementation of this resolution in line with the region's priorities, including the 10-point plan for reparatory justice. We will continue to engage meaningfully in future discussions on this important issue, including on ways to take forward the important provisions contained in the resolution. I thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Trinidad and Tobago. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of New Zealand.

Thank you, President.

It is clear from the grim testimony that we have heard today that slavery and the transatlantic slave trade were appalling tragedies of an historic scale that constitute grave violations of human dignity and of the fundamental human rights of its victims. New Zealand recognises the profound and lasting impacts of the transatlantic slave trade and thanks Ghana for its efforts in bringing forward this resolution. We acknowledge the historical legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and its lasting impact on many member states, and we welcome the importance placed on continuing education and awareness raising and the increased attention that commemorative events have brought to the issue. New Zealand supports proposals for meaningful, truthful, and respectful dialogue among those most impacted, including reparatory justice and reconciliation through appropriate frameworks. We encourage the continued promotion of comprehensive educational programs, memorialization initiatives, and research on slavery, the trafficking of enslaved Africans, and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans and their consequences. We had hoped to be able to vote in favour of this resolution, but regrettably New Zealand was not in a position to endorse all aspects of the text presented today. New Zealand acknowledges the significance and horrific scale of transatlantic slavery, but it is not able to endorse a text that suggests a hierarchy of crimes against humanity, and which has implications for other multilateral processes underway related to the progressive development of international law. New Zealand acknowledges the importance of restorative justice processes, including issues such as reparations, but believes these are more appropriately pursued through relevant judicial tribunals or agreed international legal forums. New Zealand was, unfortunately, not able to vote in favour of the text today, but we thank again and the other co-sponsors once again for the resolution and reaffirm our support for meaningful dialogue, education and progress on addressing the impacts of the transatlantic slave trade. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of New Zealand. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Peru.

Thank you, President. Peru would like to thank the distinguished delegation of Ghana for this initiative, which has made it possible for us to undertake a serious analysis about the seriousness of these issues. Our vote is consistent with the international commitments that Peru has undertaken in line with our struggle to eradicate racism and all of its structural manifestations. Peru voted in favour of the draft resolution. We are convinced that the transatlantic slave trade of Africans and the system of racialized slavery were violations of human rights of such scope that they demand the attention of the international community today. Their consequences are still being felt today in our societies. Our vote is also an act of recognition to the Afro-Peruvian communities. Some 200,000 Peruvians identify as such in our territory. This constitutes about 4% of our national population. But their political, economic, social and cultural legacy goes beyond these figures and it is part and parcel of our national identity. Peru has moved forward concrete policies in this domain, including the national policy for Peruvians of African descent going to 2030. But we'd like to make clear some interpretations of this resolution. First of all, we believe that the characterization of the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity contained in OP 2 and 3 is a reference to a particularly serious event in the past which occurs at occurred at a specific time in history. We recognize that in line with international law, the Commission of an illegal act. Is something that if it. Continues. There have to be appropriate guarantees of repetition and redress. Adopted. but we note that OP 628 can be interpreted as a call for constructive dialogue, but this is not in prejudice to the establishment of obligations that could be interpreted as legally binding. The quest for justice should be something that is accessible, universal and inclusive, free from all kinds of discrimination. The principles reaffirmed in this resolution should be a way of guiding states and should contribute to recognizing the dignity of human beings. Finally, we believe that what we would have preferred, that's a resolution on such an important issue should have been adopted by consensus. We reiterate our solidarity with all of those persons of African descent, and we particularly recognize the damaging legacy of slavery that persist today in a world where there is still racial discrimination as a result of this historical legacy. We will continue to work constructively in the context of this dialogue. And we hope that we can achieve this by consensus. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Peru. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Liechtenstein on behalf of Switzerland and Iceland.

Thank you, Mr. President.

I deliver this joint explanation of vote on behalf of Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. At the outset, we underline the importance of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and commend efforts to ensure that the profound suffering caused by the trafficking of enslaved Africans is never forgotten nor diminished. To address the enduring consequences of slavery crimes, Liechtenstein launched the Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking Initiative to combat modern forms of slavery and human trafficking. Against this background, the process leading to the adoption of this declaration is unfortunately a missed opportunity to broaden consensus and recognize the unprecedented nature of these crimes. We believe that more time and meaningful negotiations were needed to galvanize further support. Although we stress our intention to support the spirit of this initiative, we, alongside others, raise concerns about inconsistencies of the declaration with international law. In particular, The qualification of the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity has no basis in international law and risk undermining the Rome Statute protecting civilian populations not only against enslavement, but also against other equally atrocious crimes against humanity. This is all the more regrettable as discussions on the inclusion of slavery crimes in the definition of crimes against humanity are taking place at the moment both as part of the efforts to draft a convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity, and also within the framework of the Rome Statute. These discussions are essential to guarantee that such atrocities are not repeated and that modern forms of slavery do not go unpunished. For these reasons, while we strongly support the underlying objective of recognition, We were unfortunately not in a position to vote in favor of the resolution as adopted. We remain committed to engaging constructively and support the remembrance of the trafficking, the transatlantic slave trade, consistent with international law. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Liechtenstein. On behalf of Switzerland and Iceland, I have the honor now to give the floor to the Representative of the United Kingdom.

Thank you. The United Kingdom recognizes the gravity of the issues addressed in this resolution and welcomes the opportunity to set out its position. We have repeatedly recognized the abhorrent nature of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, which inflicted untold harm and misery on millions of people over many decades. Its horrors were profound, and its legacy continues to leave deep scars today. The UK also believes that only by acknowledging and discussing collectively the most painful elements of the history that we share with other nations, including the transatlantic slave trade, can we come together in a spirit of solidarity and mutual respect to respond to the challenges that we all face today. The UK remains committed to that goal. That is why we engaged constructively throughout the negotiations on this resolution in the hope of reaching a consensual-based text. However, despite our efforts, our concerns have not been taken on board. The UK continues to disagree with fundamental propositions of the text and therefore, regrettably, could not vote in favour of it. Firstly, the UK is firmly of the view that we must not create a hierarchy of historical atrocities. Doing so simplifies the complexity and vast scale of suffering endured in different contexts. It risks diminishing the experiences of communities whose trauma and suffering was felt just as strongly. No single set of atrocities should be regarded as more or less significant than another. We should approach all historical injustices with the same seriousness, empathy and respect to ensure that no one group is made to feel that their suffering is being overshadowed or treated as secondary. Furthermore, it is essential and integral to the rule of law that the formation and evolution of international law is governed by clear and well-defined principles. The principles of intertemporality and non-retroactivity are long-standing tenets of international law. They are essential to ensuring legal stability. According to the intertemporal rule, the applicable law is the law of the relevant time. International courts and tribunals have routinely upheld these principles. There is equally no duty to provide reparation for historical acts that were not, at the time those acts were committed, violations of international law. These principles cannot be circumvented by recourse to the concept of continuing harms. The UK welcomes that states have developed international law such that today's slavery and the slave trade are rightly prohibited by treaties and under customary international law, and enslavement is now recognised as a constituent element of a crime against humanity. Nonetheless, it's important to acknowledge with deep regrets that the prohibitions on slavery, the slave trade, and what are now considered crimes against humanity had not yet been established in international law at the time of the transatlantic slave trade. None of the recognised sources of international law, as set out in article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, identify a prohibition on slavery and the slave trade until the 20th century. The United Kingdom appreciates that Ghana, on behalf of the African Union, consistently stressed that this resolution was not to be read as a legal document. This was restated by the drafters at every informal consultation. In this context, the UK and others offered specific language to move the text away from legal to political discourse, while still reflecting the sheer gravity and horror of the acts. Member States also suggested the text should be considered by the Sixth Committee. Again, this was met with the response that this was a political declaration. The United Kingdom was keen to underscore this point on the AU's intention, while we continue to regret the failure to accept language that would have put the matter beyond doubt. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom. I give the floor to the representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands remains firmly committed to addressing racism and discrimination. We share the importance that the African group attaches to the lasting consequences of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

We fully recognize the profound injustice of this history and its continued impact today.

In December 2022, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands offered formal apologies for the actions of the Dutch state

towards enslaved people in the past who suffered as a consequence of those actions everywhere in the world.

as well as to all their descendants up to the present day.

In July 2023, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander apologized for the Netherlands' slavery past. As a member of the European Union, we engaged constructively in the negotiations on this resolution. and we greatly appreciate the efforts by Ghana and the African Union to bring forward this important initiative. In this vein, I would like to also say that we align ourselves with the statement delivered by the EU, and we sincerely regret that no consensus could be reached on a formulation that addresses key legal and substantive concerns. Having said that, the Kingdom of the Netherlands cannot support references that suggest the retroactive application of international law, including the implication of a legal obligation to provide reparations for acts that were not a violation of international law at the time they were committed. We also cannot agree to the introduction of a hierarchy among crimes against humanity including the designation of one as the gravest, nor to references related to the non-applicability of statutory limitations. For these reasons, Mr. Chair, and despite the importance we attach to this very subject matter, my delegation has abstained on this resolution. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It's right.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Netherlands. We have now had the last speaker in explanation of vote after the vote for this meeting. We shall hear the remaining speakers in explanations of vote after the vote at a later date to be announced. The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 119. Before adjourning the meeting, I will announce the results of the secret ballot. The Assembly will resume its consideration of sub-item 1 of agenda item 115, entitled Appointment of Members of the Board of the Ten-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns. The result of the voting is as follows: Group A, African states, number of ballot papers, 180. Number of invalid ballots, zero. Number of valid ballots, 180. Abstentions, seven. Number of members present and voting, 173. Required majority, 87. Number of votes obtained by each member state, South Africa, 173. Group B, Asia-Pacific States. Number of ballot papers, 180. Number of invalid ballots, 0. Number of valid ballots, 180. Abstentions, 4. Number of members present and voting, 176. Required majority, 89. Number of votes obtained by each member state. India, 176. Group C, Eastern European states. Number of ballot papers, 180. Number of invalid ballots, zero. Number of valid ballots, 180. Abstentions, seven. Number of members present and voting, 173. Required majority, 87. Number of votes obtained by each member state. Hungary, 158. Russian Federation, 126. Group D, Latin American and Caribbean States. Number of valid papers, 180. Number of invalid ballots, 0. Number of valid ballots, 180. Abstentions, 6. Number of members present and voting, 174. Required majority, 88. Number of votes obtained by each member state. Barbados, 173. Mexico, 168. Group E, Western European and other states. Number of ballot papers, 180. Number of invalid ballots, zero. Number of valid ballots, 180. Abstentions, 11. Number of members present and voting, 169. Required majority, 85. Number of votes obtained by each member state, Finland, 168. Germany, 166. The following states have thus been appointed as members of the board of the 10-year framework of programs on sustainable consumption and production patterns for a term beginning on 25 March 2026 and ending on 24 March 2028: Barbados, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Mexico, the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Africa. I thank the tellers for their assistance. Members are reminded that the following vacancies remain to be filled for a term beginning on the date of the appointment and expiring on 24 March 2028: one member from among the African States and one member from the Asia-Pacific States. The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of sub-item 1 of agenda item 115. I thank the interpreters for the extension granted. The meeting is therefore adjourned.