Mr. Chairman,
Cuba associates itself with the statement delivered by Uruguay on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries.
We attach particular importance to the annual commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, a particularly sensible issue for the Cuban people. In this regard, we have supported General Assembly resolutions 61/19 and 70/7, by which the bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade was commemorated, this day was designated as an International Day and the Permanent Memorial was established.
More than 200 years have elapsed since the beginning of the independence struggles in the former American colonies that ended slavery, but it would be an unforgivable historical mistake to ignore or pretend to forget the past.
The former colonial European powers, with the introduction of the slave trade in the Western Hemisphere, committed a crime against humanity that is not time-barred. The terrible fate of millions of men, women and children who for more than four centuries were uprooted from their homelands in Africa and forcibly transported to the Americas cannot be forgotten.
The great beneficiaries of conquest and colonization, slavery and the slave trade, must assume their responsibility and compensation for the horrendous crimes committed.
Compliance with the provisions of the Durban Declaration is imperative, in particular paragraphs 98 to 102 thereof, as well as with the actions contained in its Program of Action, concerning the teaching and understanding of the historical truth about this tragedy, restoring the dignity of the victims and providing reparation and compensation for the human damage caused.
Mr. Chairman,
With growing concern, we note that slavery is not a phenomenon of the past. In the 21st century, almost 40 million people are subject to similar conditions. It is further painful to observe, as the International Labor Organization and other international agencies have warned, that the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Target 8.7, cannot be achieved unless efforts to eliminate modern slavery are dramatically strengthened, as a result of which millions of women, men and children become every year victims of this and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.
Cuba reiterates its call on the international community to adopt urgent measures to put an end to contemporary forms of slavery and other similar practices, which are flagrant violations of the human rights of the persons concerned.
Mr. Chairman,
The central theme of this session "Triumphs and Struggles for Freedom and Equality", reminds us that this year we will commemorate the 227th anniversary of the beginning of the first victorious social revolution in Latin America, the Haitian Revolution, whose fundamental purpose was to end the egregious regime of slavery. That movement multiplied in the other colonial territories of Our America, by incorporating the abolition of that inhuman condition within their independence objectives.
This was also the case for Cuba, where around 1.3 million Africans arrived as slaves. They and their descendants were key actors in the various stages of our struggles for definitive liberation and significantly contributed to the formation of our nationality and culture. From them we inherited the combative spirit and love for freedom that characterizes us.
Let this remembrance serve as an incentive not to forget the history and legacy of those founding fathers of our freedom, and to remind the international community of its moral obligation to contribute to repair the crime committed.
Thank you very much.