Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition

教科文组织总干事奥德蕾·阿祖莱贩卖黑奴及其废除国际纪念日致辞

23 August 2021

2021年8月23日

On 23 August this year, we honour the memory of the men and women who, in SaintDomingue in 1791, revolted and paved the way for the end of slavery and dehumanization. We pay tribute to their memory and that of all other victims of the slave trade, for whom they stand.

在8月23日这一天，我们纪念1791年在圣多明各发动大起义、为终结奴隶制和不人道做法开辟道路的起义者。与此同时，我们也缅怀贩卖黑奴行为的所有受害者。

The fight against the slave trade and slavery is universal and ongoing. It is the reason for which UNESCO led the efforts to launch the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, which acknowledges the pivotal struggle of those who, subjected to the denial of their very humanity, fought against the slave system.

打击人口贩卖和奴隶制的斗争普遍而恒久。为此，教科文组织倡导设立贩卖黑奴及其废除国际纪念日，让人们铭记那些人性遭到否定的人们为战胜奴隶制而开展的殊死斗争。

The slave trade is the product of a racist world view. Established as a system of thought, this view has been the basis for profoundly unjust political, economic and social practices which are now recognized as a crime against humanity.

黑奴贩卖史是种族主义世界观的产物。这种世界观上升为一种思想体系，曾为极度不公正的政治、经济和社会实践奠定基础。而如今，这些实践被视作危害人类罪。

For a quarter century, UNESCO’s Slave Route Project: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage has sought to help governments, universities, the media and civil society organizations to examine this tragic chapter in our history, to combat ignorance and the denial of a past which has nevertheless been extensively documented, and to raise awareness of this heritage in all its complexity. It is a project that is key to the International Decade for People of African Descent,1 which was launched by the United Nations in 2014 and has been enriched by UNESCO's work on racism and discrimination ever since.

四分之一个世纪以来，教科文组织“奴隶之路：抵抗、自由、遗产”项目一直致力于帮助各国政府、大学、媒体和民间社会组织揭开人类历史的这些悲惨篇章，与遗忘和否定作斗争，铭记这段记载详实的过去，让人们了解这一极具复杂性的遗产。这是联合国在2015年发起的非洲人后裔国际十年的一个重要项目。

The Slave Route Project aims to deconstruct the rhetorical and pseudo-scientific mechanisms that served to justify this system, and rejects all excuses and compromises associated with them. This rational approach lays the ground for the reconciliation of memories and the fight against all modern forms of servitude and discrimination.

自那以来，教科文组织在反对种族主义和歧视方面的工作丰富了这一项目。该项目旨在解构为奴隶制辩护的言辞和伪科学机制，并拒绝任何借口或妥协言论。这种厘清是实现记忆和解以及打击一切当代形式奴役和歧视的首要条件。

Every day, throughout the world, men and women of African descent continue to endure the effects of this grim legacy. It persists in the rhetoric, the acts and the violence it has fomented, which are not isolated events and are the basis for discrimination that sometimes even costs people their lives. Today, the world understands the gravity of this situation.

因为在世界各地，非洲人后裔每天仍继续承受着这一惨痛历史之苦。这一惨痛历史造就的言论、行为和暴力至今依然存在，并且根本不是孤立现象，由此产生的歧视有时让人付出生命的代价。今天，其严重性有目共睹。

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted and exacerbated the glaring inequalities suffered daily by people of African descent, who are particularly affected by the coronavirus disease. We have been forced to acknowledge their vulnerability and the inadequacy of their healthcare, particularly for women and girls. Already victims of socioeconomic inequalities, they are also, in all areas, among the first victims of the consequences of the crisis.

例如，COVID-19危机就突显并加剧了非洲人后裔尤其是其中感染疫病的那些人日常所遭受的明显不平等现象。他们所面临的脆弱处境以及卫生保健不足情况显而易见，对妇女和女童而言尤其如此。作为社会经济不平等的受害者，他们目前又首当其冲在各方面遭遇到危机后果的打击。

At the same time, youth movements have been rising up around the world to reject the brutal expressions of systemic violence perpetrated against people of colour.

与此同时，世界各地的青年纷纷发起各种运动，坚决反对针对有色人种的系统性暴力野蛮行径。

On this day of remembrance, UNESCO reaffirms its support for Member States so that together we can devise new forms of action to put an end to racial discrimination.

值此纪念日之际，教科文组织重申对会员国的支持，以期我们能够共同构想新的行动方式，消除种族主义歧视。

It is time to abolish human exploitation once and for all, and to recognize the equal and unconditional dignity of each and every individual. Today, let us remember the victims and freedom fighters of the past so that they may inspire future generations to build just societies.

我们现在必须彻底废除人类剥削，确保全世界每一个人平等和无条件的尊严得到承认。今天，让我们铭记昨日的受害者和抗争者，以便我们的子孙后代能够从他们身上汲取勇气去建立公正的社会。