Baku Initiative Group reports progress on decolonisation in New Caledonia, French Polynesia

The efforts by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) on decolonisation have yielded positive results in addressing the issues of New Caledonia and French Polynesia, BIG Executive Director Abbas Abbasov said.

Abbasov highlighted the group's efforts to counter attempts to undermine recent developments in New Caledonia, asserting that BIG successfully prevented such actions, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

He also pointed out that many other regions are now entering an active phase of resistance against colonisation. Abbasov expressed confidence that in the coming years, one of the small island nations will likely achieve independence.

Looking forward, Abbasov announced that BIG will include additional colonised regions in its annual report next year.

Abbasov revealed that BIG has already prepared and presented over seven reports. In 2023 alone, the organisation hosted 17 international conferences, including events at the UN headquarters in New York and Geneva.

Furthermore, the UN Human Rights Committee made an unprecedented request to the French government regarding its colonial policies in Martinique and New Caledonia—the first such request in five years.

Abbasov also noted that BIG has signed five memoranda of cooperation and is actively working with non-governmental organisations and other entities in five different regions, furthering its decolonisation efforts.

By Vafa Guliyeva