Every year on this day, the 23rd of August, we recall the slave trade and its abolition, as this day has been marked as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. We use this day not only to remember this part of our history but to also celebrate the unwavering spirit of those who were denied their human rights and their fight to regain freedom. 

The Caribbean region has been especially touched by slavery and yet today we stand today as a free and resilient people, proof that even through the darkest of times, light can still be found. Let us as a region, the Greater Caribbean, remember this day not only as a marker of darker times but also as a trial through which we passed and were reborn as “a new people”. 

We must all do our part, being wary of those who might seek to affect the lives of others, denying them their basic fundamental rights. The world now understands the effects such a human rights violation can have. Let us never lose our vigilance and honour those who suffered through this ordeal by ensuring the rights of all. 

The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) invites us to reflect on the historical causes, methods and consequences of these events; to analyse the interactions it has provoked between Africa, Europe, America and the Caribbean; and to remember that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.