(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 22. Baku is hosting an
international conference on combating neo-colonialism, focusing on
the island of Bonaire, which is under Dutch colonial rule, Trend reports.
The event is organized by the Baku Initiative Group and the
Movement for Human Rights and Change on Bonaire Island.
Speaking at the event, Vice President of the Bonaire Human
Rights Organization James Finies expressed gratitude to the Baku
Initiative Group for their support.
“This is our reality, our daily struggle. We are confronting
democratic changes, population shifts, and the significant impact
of Dutch immigration on our demographics and governance,” he
said.
President of the Bonaire Human Rights Organization Davika
Bissessar emphasized that the people of Bonaire rely on global
support and understanding.
“The rights to self-determination, cultural preservation,
identity, and ethical development are central to our mission.
However, these rights cannot be fully embodied in isolation. We
depend on the support and understanding of the global community to
amplify our voices and ensure that justice is not merely an ideal
but a reality for all,” she added.
The“Path to Bonaire's Self-Determination at the UN General
Assembly through Baku Initiative Group” conference will bring
together representatives from Bonaire, who are fighting against
colonialism, along with officials and delegates from Belize, St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, St. Lucia, the UK, Mexico,
the Netherlands, the UN, and other international and regional
organizations. Human rights activists, NGO leaders, experts, and
researchers in the field of decolonization will also participate in
the conference.
High-level attendees will include special representatives from
the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Permanent
Representative of Belize to the UN, UNICEF Youth Advocates, CARICOM
Youth Ambassadors Corps, and the Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues in Africa, among others.
The conference will address Bonaire's struggle for liberation
from colonialism and discuss actions taken to bring this issue to
the forefront of relevant international organizations, as well as
explore international legal avenues for decolonization.
This event comes at a significant time for the Bonaire people,
as a few weeks after the conference, several states plan to submit
a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly to re-list Bonaire as
a territory subject to decolonization. One of the conference's
primary goals is to garner international support for this
resolution.
Will be updated
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