The Baku Initiative Group welcomes the warning addressed by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to France regarding the right to self-determination of the Kanak people in Kanaky (New Caledonia) and attempts to change the electoral p, and demands that France immediately comply with the Committee's calls.
Modern.az reports that the Baku Initiative Group issued a statement in this regard.
“The position of the BTG is that any political and administrative changes related to Kanaky cannot be implemented without the consent of the Kanak people. The Committee has confirmed this very idea. This is not only a political issue, but a fundamental requirement and right of international law, the decolonization process, and the collective rights of indigenous peoples.
As noted in the UN Committee's report, the Nouméa Accord created an important framework for the recognition of Kanak identity, the achievement of broader autonomy, and the determination of the Kanak people's political future. Unilateral interference with this framework and questioning the guarantees enshrined in the Nouméa Accord disrupts the political and legal balance created by the accord and weakens the Kanak people's ability to freely determine their political future,” the statement said.
The Baku Initiative Group strongly condemns France's steps to expand the number of people with voting rights through settlers brought to the island from outside: “Interference with the electoral p without the consent of the Kanak people should be considered as weakening the political will of the indigenous people, changing the demographic balance, and artificially distorting the results of the decolonization process.
In addition, we support the UN Committee's call for an independent, transparent, and effective investigation into allegations of excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces, including instances of deadly violence, during the protests in May 2024. Concerns about Kanak human rights defenders and pro-independence activists being taken to prisons in France's European territory without their consent should also be carefully investigated by international human rights mechanisms.
The fact that these issues were brought to the agenda as a special concern within the framework of UN mechanisms after the appeal of the Baku Initiative Group and the publication of the relevant warning shows that the concerns raised by our organization have been taken into account at the international level and have led to a concrete reaction in the direction of protecting the rights of the Kanak people.
France's initiatives, put forward without considering the Kanak people, are a clear example of the ongoing colonial administration practice in modern times: “The future of the Kanaky people should be determined with the real, equal, and effective participation of the Kanak people, not in closed negotiations in Paris.
After the alternative report submitted by the Baku Initiative Group to the UN Human Rights Committee, UN mechanisms raised a number of important issues before France. Among these issues were concerns about the deployment of France's elite gendarmerie unit GIGN, which is usually used in special security operations such as counter-terrorism and hostage release, to Kanaky, an independent and transparent investigation into allegations of excessive and disproportionate use of force in the presence of these forces, ensuring the independence of the judiciary, protecting freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly, as well as investigating the causes of the escalation and reporting them to the UN.
The Baku Initiative Group calls on France to fully and without delay implement the calls of the UN Committee, respect the right to self-determination of the Kanak people, remain faithful to the spirit of decolonization of the Nouméa Accord, and continue all political processes related to Kanaky only on the basis of the free and informed consent of the Kanak people.
The Baku Initiative Group reaffirms its solidarity with the Kanak people's struggle for a just and free future and calls on the international community to take a principled stand on France's neocolonial policy in Kanaky,” the statement said.
