Director-General's remarks on the International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2025
Tuesday 25 March 2025 at 1.00 p.m.
Room XXIV, Palais des Nations

Remarks delivered on behalf of the Director-General 
by Ms. Kira Kruglikova, Director, Division of Administration,
United Nations Office at Geneva

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen, 
Dear colleagues,

I am honoured to join you to mark the International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade and to deliver the message of Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, who could not be with us today.

On behalf of the Director-General, I would like to thank the Permanent Delegation of the African Union, the Africa Group, and the NGO “World Against Racism Network” for organizing this event.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 25 March to be the International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade, recognizing that the slave trade and slavery are among the worst violations of human rights in the history of humanity.

The theme of this year’s International Day is “Acknowledge the past. Repair the present. Build a future of dignity and justice.” Today, we remember the more than 15 million men, women and children who suffered from slavery and the slave trade over 400 years. We recognize the atrocities and humiliations that they endured, and the exclusion and discrimination that they and their descendants were subject to. Today, we also honour their descendants, who continue to fight for dignity, rights and recognition around the world.

Slavery and the slave trade also contributed to false narratives around race that sadly still plague our societies. At the United Nations Office at Geneva, we are fully committed to eradicating racism, discrimination, bigotry and hate. And we are starting with ourselves, making the fight against racism in the workplace one of our priorities, in line with the Secretary-General’s Strategic Action Plan on Addressing Racism and Promoting Dignity for All in the United Nations Secretariat.

Alongside ongoing events and outreach activities to raise awareness about racism, in 2022 we established a UN Geneva Working Group on Addressing Racism in the Workplace and appointed an Anti-Racism Advocate. The Working Group developed recommendations on key areas such as staff selection and movement, performance management, justice systems and training.

Among the Working Group’s recommendations was the establishment of a coalition for sharing best practices on addressing racism and coordinating activities and initiatives across Geneva. As a result, the Geneva Alliance against Racism was officially launched in October 2023, with the full support and presence of 22 UN entities and international organizations based in Geneva. This coalition allows us to share best practices on addressing racism, and coordinate activities and initiatives across our community. We drafted a joint declaration reaffirming our collective commitment to combating racism and racial discrimination. We also recently introduced scorecards to better track our progress in implementing our commitments.

At UN Geneva, we remain dedicated to eradicating the scourge of racism and racial discrimination in the workplace, and in our world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In 2025, remembrance, reflection and education with regards to both the slave trade and its connection to the racism that persists remain as crucial as ever. Gathered here today, we honour the victims of slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade and bear witness to their experiences and those of their descendants. And we reaffirm our commitment to equality, non-discrimination, inclusivity, dignity and justice – the very values upon which the United Nations was built.

Thank you.