UNIS/SGSM/1461
29 November 2024
On this International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, we shine a light on the estimated 50 million people worldwide trapped in horrific conditions – from human trafficking to forced labour, sexual exploitation and forced marriage.
Around the world, perpetrators prey on those made vulnerable by poverty, discrimination and conflict — including women and children — and profit from immeasurable human suffering.
These outrageous abuses have no place in the 21st century. They are not only an affront to basic human rights — they slow development, entrench inequalities, and undermine sustainable economic development.
The recently adopted Pact for the Future calls for the eradication of forced labour, an end to modern slavery and trafficking in persons, and the elimination of all forms of child labour.
To transform words into deeds, governments must strengthen law enforcement, uphold human dignity, protect, liberate and support victims, and bring perpetrators to justice. And businesses must ensure supply chains are free of exploitation and promote fair and transparent labour practices.
Everywhere, let us join forces to detect, report and abolish contemporary forms of slavery in all its forms.
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Brazil signed the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the "Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships") at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 17 April 2025.
"Together, let's get to work and make 2025 the year we restore good health to Mother Earth." — António Guterres
The new Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations (Vienna), Reza Najafi, presented his credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
The new Permanent Representative of Somalia to the United Nations (Vienna), Khadra Ahmed Dualeh, presented her credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
