Statement by Mr. Rattan Lal Kataria, Hon'ble  Member of Parliament and Member of Indian Delegation on Agenda Item 116 - Follow-up to the Commemoration of the Two-hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade at the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 4th November, 2015

Mr. President,

I would like to thank the Secretary-General for his report under the Agenda Item. I would also like to pay rich tribute to Ambassador Courtney Rattray, Permanent Representative of Jamaica for his tireless efforts in making the Permanent Memorial 'Ark of Return' a reality.

Mr. President,

The evil of slavery was deeply rooted in economic greed, racism and different forms of discrimination during the period of colonialism and imperialism. Millions lost their lives, both during the unprecedented Middle passage. African civilization was torn apart and it left an indelible mark in society, for many generations.

In this context, I must recall that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, speaking at the Asian-African Conference at Bandung in 1955, referring to transatlantic slavery, had declared 'There is nothing more terrible, there is nothing more horrible than the infinite tragedy of Africa in the past few hundred years.'

Mr. President,

The historic unveiling of the Permanent Memorial 'Arc of Return' at the United Nations in March earlier this year is a small but significant gesture of remembrance to the victims of slavery who perished into dark oblivion. It symbolizes long over due condemnation by the international community, which will remind the generations to come of the four century long grief and tragedy borne by the victims of slavery and transatlantic slave trade.

Mr. President,

India remembers its own tragedy of colonialism and the export of indentured labour, which was initiated to replace freed slaves on sugar plantations in British colonies in 1830s. We welcome the International Labour Route Project by UNESCO, as a complement to the Slave Route Project.

India's contribution of USD 260,000 to the Memorial Trust fund has been reflective of its sharing the pain and suffering of the affected countries and their people. We are happy to cosponsor the draft resolution titled 'Permanent memorial to and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade' by CARICOM, which we have been co-sponsoring since 2007.

Mr. President,

The Slave Route Project of UNSECO has contributed immensely to raising awareness of the history and consequences of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery. The recognition of 2015-24 as the International Decade for People of African Descent provides us the opportunity to showcase and recognize the important contribution made by people of African descent to modern societies.

The international community must utilise the opportunity in the implementation of the Agenda 2030 to redouble efforts and allocate more resources for promotion and preservation of the dignity and worth of all human beings, especially vulnerable women and girls, and to the fight for complete abolition of slavery in all its contemporary manifestations and forms, as envisioned in the Durban Declaration.

Thank You.