Wednesday, December 14, 2011
India asks international community to condemn slave trade
From Yoshita Singh
United Nations, Dec 13 (PTI) Describing transatlantic slave trade as one of the "most abhorrent" chapters in human history, India has asked the international community to take upon itself the commitment to never let such crimes happen in the future.
"The work of the United Nations can never be complete until we emphatically and without any reservation condemn the transatlantic slave trade. It is also necessary that the international community takes upon itself the commitment to never let such crimes ever take place again," India''s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Manjeev Singh Puri said at an UN General Assembly session on the ''200th anniversary of the abolition of transatlantic slave trade''.
The transatlantic slave trade happened from the 16th through the 19th centuries when Africans from the central and western parts of the continent were sold to European slave traders, who transported them across the ocean to colonies in North and South America.
There the slaves were forced to work on plantations, mines and in homes.
Puri described the transatlantic slave trade as one of the "most abhorrent" chapters in human history.
He said the construction of a permanent memorial will be a "fitting tribute" of the United Nations to the millions of victims of the transatlantic slave trade.
"We must all take initiatives to ensure that future generations do not forget the grief and tragedy borne by the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade," he said.
India has contributed 260,000 dollars to the ''United Nations Trust Fund for Partnerships � Permanent Memorial''.
The fund has so far received close to only a million dollars as against the anticipated expenditure of 4.5 million dollars for the construction of the memorial.
"The international community must come forward and contribute. It cannot let the idea of this memorial just remain on its design board," he said.
There should be a genuine sense of acceptance and repentance that these horrific crimes occurred, Puri said adding that "we therefore, strongly urge all countries, and especially those who benefited from the transatlantic slave trade, to come forward and generously contribute to this noble cause."
The international community must pay homage to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, he said.
India has been co-sponsoring a resolution on ''Permanent memorial to and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade'' since 2007.
United Nations, Dec 13 (PTI) Describing transatlantic slave trade as one of the "most abhorrent" chapters in human history, India has asked the international community to take upon itself the commitment to never let such crimes happen in the future.
"The work of the United Nations can never be complete until we emphatically and without any reservation condemn the transatlantic slave trade. It is also necessary that the international community takes upon itself the commitment to never let such crimes ever take place again," India''s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Manjeev Singh Puri said at an UN General Assembly session on the ''200th anniversary of the abolition of transatlantic slave trade''.
The transatlantic slave trade happened from the 16th through the 19th centuries when Africans from the central and western parts of the continent were sold to European slave traders, who transported them across the ocean to colonies in North and South America.
There the slaves were forced to work on plantations, mines and in homes.
Puri described the transatlantic slave trade as one of the "most abhorrent" chapters in human history.
He said the construction of a permanent memorial will be a "fitting tribute" of the United Nations to the millions of victims of the transatlantic slave trade.
"We must all take initiatives to ensure that future generations do not forget the grief and tragedy borne by the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade," he said.
India has contributed 260,000 dollars to the ''United Nations Trust Fund for Partnerships � Permanent Memorial''.
The fund has so far received close to only a million dollars as against the anticipated expenditure of 4.5 million dollars for the construction of the memorial.
"The international community must come forward and contribute. It cannot let the idea of this memorial just remain on its design board," he said.
There should be a genuine sense of acceptance and repentance that these horrific crimes occurred, Puri said adding that "we therefore, strongly urge all countries, and especially those who benefited from the transatlantic slave trade, to come forward and generously contribute to this noble cause."
The international community must pay homage to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, he said.
India has been co-sponsoring a resolution on ''Permanent memorial to and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade'' since 2007.
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