International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

On 23 August UNESCO remembers the transatlantic slave trade and marks the 1791 uprising in Saint Domingue, now Haiti, that helped bring about its end.

  • UK
  • USA
  • International
OrganiserUNESCO
ListingAdded by us from official sources
Last checked19 October 2026
First held1998

About the day

UNESCO leads the day, first marked in Haiti in 1998 and in Senegal in 1999. It encourages study of the causes and consequences of the slave trade and its lasting links between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean.

Dates for the next three years

YearDateWhereStatus
2027Monday 23 August 2027UK, USA, InternationalSame date every year
2028Wednesday 23 August 2028UK, USA, InternationalSame date every year
2029Thursday 23 August 2029UK, USA, InternationalSame date every year

Where this information comes from

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