New Caledonian official hails Baku Initiative Group for exposing France’s colonial legacy

Deputy Chair of the New Caledonia Parliament's Commission on Family and Women's Affairs Marie-Lyn Sakilia has said that the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) is playing a vital role in raising global awareness of France’s colonial legacy.

Speaking at the “Decolonization: A Quiet Revolution” conference held at the United Nations headquarters in New York and organised by BIG, Sakilia praised the group's efforts to expose the ongoing impact of French policy in its overseas territories, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

Sakilia referenced the 1988 Matignon-Oudinot Peace Accords, highlighting the people of New Caledonia’s determination to preserve their intellectual, economic, and administrative autonomy in relations with France.

She also called attention to the pressing need to revisit and implement the 1998 Nouméa Accord, which laid out a roadmap for gradual decolonization and self-governance. 

“France’s current policies are driving mass migration, creating social and economic imbalances in our region,” Sakilia noted. 

She stressed that these challenges are further exacerbated by mismanagement and limited local resources, leading to increased reliance on foreign labour. “In the face of resource shortages and poor governance, foreign labour is being brought into the workforce,” she said.

“These issues must be clearly addressed so that our people can regain the capacity for self-governance. We want to build a healthy future—one that acknowledges and respects our past.”

The Baku Initiative Group, which was established on July 6, 2023, during the ministerial meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement chaired by Azerbaijan, has played a crucial role in supporting independence movements. BIG has already organised up to 15 international conferences, including sessions at the UN headquarters in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, as well as in Istanbul and Baku, aiming to highlight colonialism as a persistent global issue in the 21st century.

By Naila Huseynova