Before I begin I would like to thank Ambassador Rattray and the Mission of Jamaica for their leadership and their efforts to bring this important subject to the forefront to of the UN agenda.

Mr. President,

The American author Robert Heinlein said, “A generation which ignores history has no past – and no future.” Today we recommit ourselves to memory to ensure that the tragedies of the past serve as clear lessons for the future.

The transatlantic slave-trade casts a dark shadow over history. The enslavement of Africans was cruel and dehumanizing. Thirty million people were forced from their homes, uprooted from their villages, and driven into bondage.  Many have recalled the horrific conditions on their voyages and during their enslavement.

The dark centuries of the slave trade represent one of the longest and most sustained assaults on the life, integrity, and dignity of human beings in history.  Yet even after the abolition of slavery, living conditions for African communities remained horrific during the first half of the nineteenth century.

Mr. President,

The Jewish people share the story of a people who were persecuted.  The Jewish bible describes how the Jewish people emerged from bitter enslavement in ancient Egypt to become a nation in the land of Israel. 

They remained there until conquering forces expelled and scattered them across the globe.  Powerless and persecuted, they suffered in every country and in every century. Every day for two thousand years, Jews prayed - ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון ברחמים - asking G-d to return them to the land of Israel.

At long last, in 1948 we realized independence and the opportunity to rebuild our homeland. We built our state on the principles of freedom, tolerance, and understanding. 

Mr. President,

The Jewish people identify with the suffering of the peoples of Africa, the Caribbean, and all those who share a burdened history. Because we were born in slavery, we understand the yearning for freedom. 

Because we suffered the indignity of persecution, we understand the value of human dignity.  And because, for two thousand years, Jewish life was thought to be cheap, we understand the sanctity of life.

Israel is proud of our financial contribution to the Permanent Memorial in Honor of Victims of Slavery and the International Slave Trade.  As in previous years, we are honored to be among the co-sponsors of the resolution.

The memorial must serve as a call to action, a call to every nation, to every leader and to every citizen, to do everything that they can to ensure that no human being is ever enslaved.

Mr. President,

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Yet, as we gather here today, many around the world are not free. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people - mostly women and children - are trafficked across borders worldwide.  The trafficking of human beings is a grave injustice that has no place in a civilized world.

There is also no place in the civilized world for those who enslave others with hate, racism and prejudice. These are the fuel that power persecution, war and violence.

We must be living memorials.  Through education, remembrance, and vigilance we can ensure that the tragedies of the past serve as clear lessons for the future.

Israel joins with the international community today in advancing this work. Together we must extend a promise to our children that freedom is universal, that dignity is inherent and that life is sacred.

Thank you, Mr. President.