On Wednesday, the director-general of UNESCO remembered the universal demand for freedom that led to the 1791 insurrection by slaves in what is now Haiti. Irina Bokova emphasised the importance of teaching this history to young people. ‘We are counting on the teaching of this history to place tomorrow's citizens on the path to peace and dignity. Everyone must know the scale of the crime of the slave trade, the millions of lives broken and the impact on the fate of continents up to this very day’, she said. UNESCO has played a leading role within the UN system in fostering understanding and recognition of the slave trade. See also http://www.un.org/en/index.html