The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), through the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations has been instrumental in motivating the United Nations to launch an International Competition for the Permanent Memorial at the United Nations to honour the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Theme of the Competition
The memorial is formally titled: The Permanent Memorial at the United Nations to Honour the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade. The theme of the Permanent Memorial initiative is:”Acknowledging the Tragedy; considering the legacy; Lest We Forget”.

About the Partners
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Permanent Memorial Committee are the implementing Partners of the competition, with Member States from  the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union (AU) playing a primary role in the  implementation process.

The Permanent Memorial Committee
The Permanent Memorial initiative was developed out of a process at the United Nations, designed to implement paragraph 101 of the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action Plan which calls for the international community to honour the memory of the victims of slavery.
The Permanent Memorial Committee was established in 2007. Its role is to manage the overall project and provide oversight of the Trust Fund for the permanent memorial initiative, and in so doing, seeks to ensure implementation of successive United Nations General Assembly resolutions on the permanent memorial project.

Competition Objectives
The Permanent Memorial to Honour the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade represents an effort to acknowledge the tragedy of slavery; and to educate future generations about the lingering consequences of the centuries-long enslavement of and trade in Africans supplied to, the colonies of the Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe. This includes the legacy of  hatred, bigotry, racism, prejudice, and xenophobia – which are linked to current economic and social inequalities worldwide that continue to pervade the international community.
The goal of the competition is to identify and select an outstanding design for the Memorial to enshrine the legacy of millions of African captives whose untold stories, memories and contributions to humanity forever changed the world’s societies.  The Memorial’s aesthetic appeal must complement the landscape of the UN Headquarters in New York City.
The selected design must have the potential to be an iconic monument that deepens  visitors’ visual and spiritual experiences at the United Nations Headquarters as they acquire an understanding of this historical tragedy.  The winning design will highlight the cross-cultural and global impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, while honouring the memory of those who died and those who have shared their struggle.

Eligibility Guidelines
The design competition for the Permanent Memorial is open to all artists, including graphic designers, sculptors, architects, new media and other visual arts professionals from all geographic regions of the world.
The participants shall enrol in their private and personal capacities, and shall not be acting on behalf of any organization, government or non-governmental; corporate or private entity.
Designs from participants who are minors at the time of submission must be supervised by a creative professional, and submitted by a person having legal responsibility for them.

Designs from both individuals and collaborative groups are acceptable.
The sixteen (16) semi-finalists must avail themselves the opportunity to forward any reasonable modification requested by the Selection Committee within a reasonable time.

For more information interested Guyanese may visit the WEBSITE of the Permanent Memorial – www.unslaverymemorial.org

The Closing date for the submission of entries is December 19, 2011.