BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 15. The 4th session of
the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent is
taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York from April 14 to
17, 2025, Trend
reports.
The session includes participation from the Baku Initiative
Group (BIG) and its close partners—political movements advocating
for independence in territories still under French and Dutch
colonial rule.
The Permanent Forum is a UN body focused on addressing the
lasting injustices caused by slavery and colonialism.
Thanks to ongoing cooperation between BIG and the Forum,
representatives from territories administered by France and the
Netherlands—including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Kanaky (New
Caledonia), Sint Maarten, Réunion, Bonaire, Aruba, Maohi Nui
(French Polynesia), and French Guiana—were, for the first time,
given the opportunity to present their peoples’ demands from the UN
stage.
Speaking at the opening of the session, BIG Executive Director
Abbas Abbasov outlined the group’s efforts toward decolonization
and reaffirmed their support for communities still living under
colonial rule.
Abbasov also announced that the conference “Decolonization: The
Silent Revolution”, organized by BIG with the support of the Forum,
will take place on April 15. The event will focus on the serious,
ongoing impacts of French and Dutch colonialism.
During the session, Abbasov met with the President of the
Permanent Forum, Martin Kimani, and presented him with a book
titled “The Evolution of French Colonialism: A Political and
Constitutional Study”, commissioned by BIG.
