The Transatlantic Slaves Homecoming and Door-of-No-Return Standard (TASH Standard) was conceived amid the international community’s growing recognition that the transatlantic slave trade, slavery, and colonialism constitute enduring historical injustices whose consequences continue to affect peoples of African descent and humanity as a whole. The Standard reflects the evolving commitment of States, regional organizations, civil society, traditional authorities, descendant communities, and international partners to strengthen remembrance, historical accountability, reconciliation, and the restoration of human dignity.

The Standard also acknowledges the historical reality that millions of Africans were forcibly removed from their homelands through the transatlantic slave trade and subjected to enslavement, forced displacement, exploitation, and inhumane treatment. Countless individuals perished during capture, forced marches, confinement, the Middle Passage, and enslavement across the Americas and the Caribbean. Many were denied proper burial, their identities were erased, and their lives were neither formally acknowledged nor commemorated. These historical circumstances continue to resonate with descendant communities seeking healing, historical recognition, spiritual reconciliation, and opportunities for symbolic and cultural reconnection with the African continent.

The TASH Standard further recognizes that, despite the presence of important memorials and heritage sites associated with the transatlantic slave trade, no comprehensive international framework has linked places of departure in Africa with sites of enslavement and remembrance across the Americas, the Caribbean, and other regions affected by the transatlantic slave trade. Establishing such a framework contributes to preserving historical memory, promoting educational understanding, encouraging international cooperation, and restoring dignity to those whose humanity was systematically denied.