Bangladesh calls for intensified global efforts to confront slavery and oppression

Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman called for strengthened global efforts to confront historical injustices and eliminate slavery and oppression.

He made the call while addressing a commemorative meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade yesterday (25 March).

He paid solemn tribute to the millions of victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, while also honoring the extraordinary courage and resilience of those who bravely resisted it, reads a press release.

Emphasising that the transatlantic slave trade remains a permanent scar on humanity, Dr Rahman reaffirmed Bangladesh’s firm stance against slavery, apartheid, genocide, and all forms of oppression. He underscored that the Constitution of Bangladesh rejects imperialism, colonialism, racism, and discrimination, and reiterated the country’s solidarity with oppressed peoples worldwide.

Recalling the centenary of the 1926 Slavery Convention and nearly 80 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the foreign minister said that although slavery has been abolished, its legacy persists in modern society, economy, and politics with various forms still existing worldwide.

Acknowledging the enduring impacts of the transatlantic slave trade, Dr Khalilur Rahman emphasised that action must go beyond remembrance, calling for renewed efforts to combat human trafficking, coordinated measures in digital forensics, and greater investment in education and dialogue on the human and civilizational costs of slavery, reads the release.

Reaffirming this solemn commitment, he urged the global community to work together to build a world where slavery and oppression have no place.