BSS, Dhaka

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has called for intensified global efforts to confront slavery and oppression, urging renewed international action while addressing a UN General Assembly commemorative meeting.

He made the call while speaking at a meeting marking the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday, according to a message received by BSS yesterday morning.

The foreign minister paid solemn tribute to the millions of victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade and honoured the courageous resilience of those who resisted it.

Describing the transatlantic slave trade as a permanent scar on humanity, Dr Rahman reaffirmed Bangladesh’s firm stance against slavery, apartheid, genocide and all forms of oppression.

He said the Constitution of Bangladesh rejects imperialism, colonialism, racism and discrimination, reiterating the country’s solidarity with oppressed peoples worldwide.

Recalling the centenary of the 1926 Slavery Convention and nearly 80 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he noted that although slavery has been abolished, its legacy persists in modern society, economy and politics, with various forms still existing worldwide.