(4th plenary meeting) Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) - 2026 session

Good afternoon.
The fourth meeting of the 20 26th session of the Special Committee on the situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples is called to order.
The committee will now begin its consideration of the item entitled Question of Guam.
In that context, I wish to draw your attention.
I wish to draw your attention to a working paper prepared by the Secretariat for information on this item and contained in document A slash AC 109 slash 2026 slash nine.
The committee will listen today to speakers under this item and take action on the related draft resolution at its plenary meetings scheduled on Friday 26 June.
Does any delegation wish to make a statement on this item? I have no request for the floor.
I would like to remind the committee that it had acceded this morning to the request of a petitioner to speak under this agenda item as contained in A Memoir 04 slash 26, I would like to invite the petitioner, miss Pim limit to take a seat at the petitioner's table.
I remind all petitioners to kindly limit their statements to no more than 4 minutes.
Please note that the red light on the microphone will begin to flash when there is 1 minute left before the end of your 4 minutes speaking time.
At the end of the 4 minutes, the sound of the microphone will be cut off and it will no longer be possible to be heard.
The full statement may be submitted to eStments at un.org with a copy to the decolonization unit at dppdcolonization unit at un.org.
The sharing of statements will also facilitate the work of the interpreters, and I thank you for your cooperation.
I also wish to remind all petitioners to limit their statements strictly to the territory under which they have been approved to be heard.
I now give the floor to miss Pim Limtio to address the committee.
Madam, you have the floor, please.
Buesad, my name is Pim Lim Tiao, and I come on behalf as myself as a Chamor native of Guam.
I would like to thank and acknowledge the C 24 for their time and continued efforts in decolonization.
I was here in this exact room eight years ago in 2018 as a petitioner discussing how Guam continues to be impacted by the geopolitics between the US, North Korea, and China.
I would like to tell you that not much has changed.
We continue to be called the tip of the spear by the US and it's a deceiving title.
We are given the illusion as the first responders to global attacks within the Asia Pacific region, when in reality, we would be sacrificed first in warfare.
But how much have we been sacrificing? Our people have been struggling economically since COVID and from existing federal policies that drive up the cost of living.
Our main drinking water sources continue to be contaminated by US military base developments.
Many of our elders who suffered through World War two have died not receiving the full return of their ancestral lands that have been occupied by the US military for more than 70 years.
Now the US is eying our oceans for exploitation of deep sea mining at the expense of our marine ecosystems and fisheries and simply because the US wants to compete with China in mineral acquisition.
Even with local government efforts, the US continues to ignore our input, and I urge the C 24 to conduct the UN visiting mission that we had been requesting for the last decade.
I understand that there have been some obstacles to achieve this, but I truly believe that this visiting mission will provide insight to what our people have been going through.
Doing this will not only help facilitate our people towards self governance, but this would also help the UN achieve its longstanding mission to eradicate colonialism.
I come from a lineage of decolonization activists of the Garrito clan of the Harmon Cliff line, who have petitioned here in the UN since 1997.
My family has survived through the atrocities of World War two in the Pacific, and we have been fighting for more than 40 years to get our land back.
Now my great grandmother and grandmother have passed, and our land is still under possession of the US government.
How much longer will our people suffer under the grasp of colonization? Will my generation also die without answers? I came here at my own expense and time because my home is that important to me.
These issues that I bring up are clearly from complex roots of colonialism and addressing them are easier said than done.
I am simply here to continue to tell our story.
But I want to remind you all that we, the people of Guam, are still here and we are still resilient and still fighting, and I refuse to be the generation that gave up.
There's our native saying that goes, gija pus Hai because if not us, then who? Ciss Masi, thank you for your time, and we look forward to your visiting mission to Guam.
I thank miss Pim Limtiao.
The committee has concluded this stage of its consideration of the item question of Guam.
The committee will now begin its consideration of the item entitled The Question of Monsrat.
In that context, I wish to draw your attention to a working paper prepared by the Secretariat for information and contained in document A slash AC 109 slash 2026 slash ten.
The committee will today listen to the speakers who have requested the floor under this item and take action on the related draft resolution at its plenary meetings scheduled on Friday 26 June.
Does any delegation wish to make a statement on this item? I have no request for the floor.
That means the committee has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of the item of Monstert.
The committee will now begin its consideration of the item entitled Question of New Caledonia.
In that context, I wish to draw your attention to a working paper prepared by the Secretariat for information contained in document A slash AC 109 slash 2026 slash 11.
The committee will today Listen to speakers who have requested the floor under this item and take action on the related draft resolution at its plenary meetings scheduled on Friday 26 June.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Just give us 1 minute, please.
Thank you for your patience.
We will now suspend consideration of this item, the item entitled Question of New Caledonia.
We will move to the next item and revert to this item subsequently in this session.
Thank you.
The committee will now begin its consideration of the item entitled of Pitca.
In that context, I wish to draw your attention to a working paper prepared by the Secretariat for information and contained in document a slash AC 109 slash 2026 slash.
The committee will today listen to speakers who have requested the floor under this item and take action on the related draft resolution at its plenary meetings scheduled on Friday 26 June.
Does any delegation wish to make a statement on this item? I have no request for the floor.
This means the committee has thus concluded the stage of its consideration of item of Pin.
The committee will now begin its consideration of the item entitled Question of St.
Helena.
In that context, I wish to draw your attention to a working paper prepared by the Secretariat for information and contained in document A slash AC 109 slash 2026 slash 13.
The committee will listen to speakers who have requested the floor under this item and take action on the related draft resolution at its plenary meetings scheduled on Friday 26 June.
Does any delegation wish to make a statement on this item? I have no request for the floor.
This means the committee has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of the item question of Sent Helena.
The committee will now take up the item entitled Question of the Turks and Caucos Islands.
In that context, I wish to draw your attention to a working paper prepared by the Secretariat for information on this item and contained in document A slash AC 109 slash 2026 slash 15.
The committee will today listen to speakers under this item and take action on the related draft resolution at its plenary meetings scheduled on Friday 26 June.
Does any delegation wish to make a statement I have no request for the floor.
At this point, I would like to remind the committee that it had acceded this morning to request of petitioners to speak under this agenda item as contained in Eid Memoir 07 slash 26.
I now invite Mr.
Benjamin Roberts and Mr.
Antoine Walken to take a seat at the petitioners table and to address the committee.
I kindly remind the petitioners to limit their statements to no more than 4 minutes.
Mr.
Benjamin Roberts, you now have the floor, please.
Madam Chair Rambali and all assemble.
I am Benjamin Roberts of Turks and Cakis Forum, and I'm pleased to petition here today on matters of Turks and Caicus.
I begin by addressing a most horrendous and distressing situation in Turks and Caucas.
Some time ago, the local government petitioned the UK for help in asbestos cleanup of a former US Air Force facility on the island of Grand Turk that was allowed in Turks and Caucas by the British in a deal during World War two.
This agreement excluded local governance entirely, including particulars of monies received by the UK or any potential health hazards from the facility.
In the 1980 shrinkage of US bases worldwide, this facility was closed and US personnel left.
As with arrival, the particulars of this took place absent local governance and was exclusively between the UK and US.
Not long after TC government moved a number of its ministry offices to this facility.
Now, years later, there are unexplained cases of cancer on the island.
And among those whose offices were at this facility, the buildings are currently off limits for usage, covered with top polling, and deemed an asbestos health hazard, which has since been confirmed.
The UK response to this petition last month was to in a most mocking and conceited manner, throw this problem back to Turks and y local government as their responsibility.
This despite the UK exclusively signing the US deal at opening and closing.
Being paid exclusively for this presence in x and gis and not providing Tux and cakes with a sign off document confirming the facility fit for human usage.
Now for the salt in the wound.
Tux and gis has nothing close to the technology or means to detect, monitor, and clean up hazardous asbestos contamination.
Madam Chair and panel, is this what administrative authority and oversight looks like? Is this what your UN Article 73 Protections of indigenous people look like? Is this what I have here outlined than featured and info sent to you by the UK for compiling your C 24 working papers? If the answer is no to these questions, then I most seriously lament the plight of the indigenous people of Turks and Kykys.
Honorable chair and panel, after 16 never ending years, a commission of inquiry called for by the British arrived at sentencing in Turks and Cauics.
The official total cost for this exercise as of May 26th is $133 million.
The UK decreed at the outset that Turks and Caicus, a place they describe as the dependency of their be required to pay for this inquiry called by them.
This Tux and Cais inquiry, a cash cow for the UK should in no way be paid for by Turks and Cakis and its citizens.
If it does, it goes against everything the UN, its Article 73, and its decolonization efforts are attempting to achieve to achieve in the arena of preservation, protection, and relief for colonized peoples.
As such, my NGO, Turks and Cakis firm, and I call for this matter to be fast tracked to your International Court of Justice for resolution as a judicial matter.
In closing, Tx and Cakes forum asks for a visiting mission to Tx and Cakes.
Why? Because what I have outlined most detrimental to our country is beyond comprehension.
The last such mission was 20 years ago, between the four minute once a year petitioning before your committee and the dubious omitted information provided to your walking papers.
Can you expect Wrap up, please.
Go ahead.
Do you expect to be fully informed of the true state of affairs in Turks and Cakes? Absolutely not.
A visiting mission is paramount at this time.
Thank you.
I thank Mr.
Benjamin Roberts.
I now recognize and give the floor to Mr.
Antoine Watkin.
You have the floor, sir, please.
Madam Chair, good afternoon.
Some nations measure their future by the size of their territory, others by the strength of their people.
As a representative of the Turks and Caucas Islands, I stand before you to speak about a people whose future, like many territories, must ultimately be determined by their own voice.
I wish to begin by expressing my appreciation for the continued work of this special committee in advancing one of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, the right of all peoples to self determination.
For many around the world, decolonization is viewed as a chapter of history.
Yet for the people of the Turks and Caicus, it remains a living and evolving discussion around democracy governance, and the future we wish to shape for ourselves.
The Turks and Caucas has made significant progress over the years.
We have augmented our institutions, expanded our economy, and cultivated generations of capable leaders committed to national development.
The Turks and Caicus may be small in geography, Madam Speaker, but we have never been small in ambition.
Our people have built one of the region's strongest economies, developed resilient institutions, and consistently demonstrated that the strength of a nation is measured not by the size of its landmass, but by the capacity, ingenuity, and determination of its people.
However, development alone does not answer the question of self determination and economic progress cannot replace a people's right to determine their own political future.
Madam Chair, I believe one of the most important conversations surrounding decolonization today is the question of preparedness.
Self determination is not simply an event from memory or constitutional milestones.
It's a process that requires civic education, strong institutions, public participation, and a population equipped to make informed decisions regarding its future.
Whether a people ultimately choose independence or another constitutional arrangement, that choice must be made freely, democratically and with a clear understanding of its implications.
The legitimacy of self determination lies not in any particular outcome, but in the ability of a people to genuinely choose.
For small island territories such as the Turks and Cakus Islands, this conversation is inseparable from sustainable development.
Climate vulnerability, economic dependence on limited industries, and pressures of rapidly changing global environments all influence our capacity to sustain our future.
True self determination requires not only the right to choose, but also the capacity to succeed after that choice has been made, Madam Chair.
As one of the youngest voices participating in this dialogue, I believe my generation inherits both the unfinished work of the past and the responsibility of the future.
The question before us is not simply what future the Turks and Cakus Islands will hold.
The question is whether our people will possess the knowledge, confidence, and opportunity necessary to determine that future for themselves.
And to every Turks and Cakus Islander at home and across our diaspora, our future will not be determined by circumstance, but by the choices we make, the values we uphold, and the confidence we have in our collective selves.
Madam Chair, self determination is more than a constitutional principle.
It's the recognition that the destiny of a people should be authored by the people themselves.
It is the enduring conviction that the story of a nation should never be written for the people but by them, and it is the capacity of that nation to possess the knowledge, confidence, and institutions necessary to write the next chapter for itself.
In the Turks and Caicos, our greatest resource has never been the beauty of our islands or the strength of our economy.
It has always been our blessed people.
Thank you, Madam Chairman.
I thank Mr.
Antoine Walken.
The committee has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of the item of Turks and Caucas Islands.
The committee will now resume its consideration of the item entitled Question of New Caledonia.
In that context, I wish to draw your attention again to a working paper prepared by the Secretariat for information and contained in document A slash AC 109 slash 2026 slash 11.
The committee will today listen to speakers who have requested the floor under this item and take action on the related draft resolution at its plenary meetings scheduled on Friday 26 June.
I first give the floor to the distinguished permanent representative of France to address the committee on behalf of the administering power.
Excellency, you have the floor, please.
Merci.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
First of all, I wish to extend my greetings to the various representatives of territories that have traveled to New Caledonia and we are prepared to listen to them with the greatest attention.
Madam Chair, New Caledonia, as the committee knows, is a sui generous collectivity under Article 13 of our convention resulting from the implementation of the Num Mayer Accords of 1998.
New Caledonia is engaged in a decolonization process that is rooted in the right to self determination.
The state is committed to that right, which is enshrined in the French Constitution being exercised by all citizens.
It has committed to New Caledonia's path towards emancipation be brought to the knowledge of the United Nations.
That commitment is a day to day reality in addition to the participation of this delegation in this session.
United Nations observers are at this very moment on the ground to accompany the revision of the electoral role before the provincial elections of the 28th of June.
Madam Chair, Caledonians face two significant challenges which we must collectively respond to.
The state is fully mobilized alongside them to find lasting solutions to the benefit for the benefit of all Caledonians.
The first challenge is economic recovery.
The state is committed alongside Caledonians to ensure long term prosperity for the archipelago.
The 2024 violence had a devastating impact on its economy.
Economic and social reconstruction is our priority.
That is why the state has launched a reestablishment packed with more than 2 billion euros over five years.
The second issue at stake is the need to determine a new institutional long lasting status for New Caledonia that is shared by and chosen by all Caledonians and which takes into account the diversity of Caledonians and the history of the territory.
Since 2022, the state has been maintaining a constant in depth dialogue among all of the political partners, those that favor independence, those that do not.
And all of the movements in between.
That dialogue on the 12th of July 2025 led to the so called Bugval agreement that was completed by the Elyse Audit Accord.
That provided for the establishment of a state of New Caledonia within the national whole and Caledonian nationality that would exist alongside French nationality.
That is a never before seen status.
In April, the National Assembly decided to not pronounce itself on the integration of that agreement into the Constitution.
The government has taken note of that and the dialogue has continued since then with all of the stakeholders under the leadership of the prime minister.
In the immediate term, the next step is the holding of provincial elections on the 28th of June.
Caledonians will elect their local representatives that will have responsibility for the administration of the provinces.
Those representatives will in turn elect the members of the Congress of New Caledonia, which in particular will choose the members of the government of the territory of New Caledonia.
The French parliament recently voted on an amendment to the electoral body to allow more than 10,000 Caledonians born on the territory to exercise their right to elect their local representatives, a right that they were up until now deprived of.
Our objective is to hold this vote in a calm environment without violence in accordance with the democratic spirit that must prevail.
All of the political forces in New Caledonia are currently engaged in a democratic and pluralist campaign.
Following those elections, discussions on the future of New Caledonia will resume in July.
They will address specific projects concerning the economy, the fight against inequality, the nickel industry, healthcare policy, education, culture, the protection of the environment, global warming, climate change, and the fight against domestic violence.
Caledonians will be directly consulted about these projects and the democratic debate will take place.
Madam Chair, I would like to recall that the state engages in dialogue with all political formations because it is in the service of all Caledonians to find a lasting political pathway that is faithful to our commitments and that respects all sensibilities.
It is a question of taking the logic of the historic Numayercors right to the end and to not allow for uncertainty to prevail over the institutional future of the territory.
I would like to conclude by reaffirming France's confidence in the constructive role that the C 24 can play because we feel that it can help all Caledonian actors to resume dialogue about their future with respect for the principle of self determination.
France reiterates also its readiness to host a mission by the committee when the committee feels that is appropriate.
Thank you.
I thank the distinguished Permanent representative of France.
Does any delegation wish to take the floor at this time to make a statement or address a question on this item? I recognize the distinguished Permanent representative of Fiji.
Excellency, you have the floor.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
At the outset, Fiji expresses its appreciation for the constructive manner in which today's meeting has been conducted.
We value and appreciate the important work of this committee and we affirm our solidarity with the non self governing territories of our Pacific region.
Allow me to also extend Fiji's acknowledgment to the petitioners who have traveled across the Pacific to be here.
We thank them sincerely for their valuable contributions.
Our appreciation is extended likewise to the administering power of France for the statement that just been delivered.
Madam Chair, consistent with the 23rd MSG Leaders communicate adopted in S in June 2025, Fiji as chair of the MSG continues to support a peaceful dialogue between New Caledonia and the administrating power of France.
In this regard, Fiji wishes to highlight four points.
First, Fiji calls on all parties in New Caledonia, the Pro Independence movement, the loyalists, the customary authorities, and the administrative power to sustain inclusive good faith engagement in determining the territory's future.
This is not an easy road.
Yet seeking peaceful solutions to such difficulties is a noble burden of humanity, born for the sake of the people of New Caledonia.
Fiji urges all stakeholders to stay united in purpose, even when they differ in view.
Secondly, Fiji reaffirms the MSD position that the question of New Caledonia must remain in the United Nations list of non self governing territories and that this committee sustained its momentum in upholding the people's right to self determination.
Thirdly, Fiji reiterates its commitment to the Pacific Island Forum position, in particular, its 54th leaders communic of 2025.
Following the unrest, our leaders deployed a high level Foreign Tika plus mission in 2024.
We remain committed to collective effort by all New Caledonians and the government of France towards a lasting solution, faithful to the rights and dignity of the Kank people and all communities who call New Caledonia home.
Fourth, Fiji underscores that the agreed UN visiting mission must take place in appropriate time and with adequate resources with provincial elections due by 28 June.
This committee should continue to monitor the process closely.
Madam Chair, peace is seldom the work of a single moment, but it is a burden worth carrying together for the people of New Caledonia.
As I conclude, I thank again the administering power of France and the people and government of New Caledonia and this special committee for the cooperative spirit that continues to guide our shared endeavor.
I thank you.
I thank the distinguished permanent representative of Fiji.
I now recognize and give the floor to the distinguished permanent representative of Papua New Guinea.
Excellency, you have the floor.
Madam Chair, Excellencies and distinguished delegates and participants.
At the outset, Papua Ne Guinea would like to highly commend you and thank you and your delegation for the excellent leadership you continue to show, for the special committee, and the invaluable contributions you continue to make.
We also recognize the important role the Bureau of the committee has and pledge of support to work with all of you as we steer our work.
Madam Chair, let me also take this occasion to reiterate Papua Ne Guinea's gratitude to the government and the people of Nicaragua for the successful hosting of the Caribbean Regional Seminar in Maagua last month.
We would also like to thank the special committee for the confidence and trust and trusted in Papua Ne Guinea to serve as the seminar up tour yet for another year.
Madam Chair, Let me also warmly welcome the representatives and petitioners participating in this session, including, especially the representatives of the FLN cases from the government of New Caledonia, the known South governing territories of the Blue Pacific Continent, and other regions of the world.
We also acknowledge and thank the administrative power for their participation in this session.
We also thank the representative of the government of New Caledonia for the update that we expect to receive and take note of the useful information from them.
Madam Chair, as a fellow Maniion country and close pacific neighbor, Papa Guinea continues to follow developments in New Caledonia with particular interest.
We reaffirm the inevitable right of people of New Caledonia to self determination in accordance with the charter of the UN and the relevant general resolutions.
We note the fluid and evolving situation in New Caledonia following the events of May 2024 and welcome the continued efforts of all stakeholders in New Caledonia and the administering power of France to engage in a peaceful dialogue on the future of the territory and to seek a pathway forward for a lasting and peaceful solution.
We also acknowledge the efforts being made to rebuild from the May 2024 events.
In this regard, we encourage all concerned parties to continue to listen and to hear and understand each other and to engage in good faith, drawing inspiration from the spirit of dialogue, compromise and mutual respect embodied in the numeric code.
Madam Chair, my delegation also notes with interest the recent evolving developments for a pathway forward for New Caledonia, including the decision of the administering power on the Bugaville Accord on April 2026 and welcomes the ongoing efforts and dialogue on the future for the territory.
Papua New Guinea also welcomes the holding of provincial elections on 28 June this year in New Caledonia and urges for peaceful, free and fair polling.
We also encourage all parties to respect the outcome of the electoral process.
We further note the recent partial opening of the electoral list for the provincial elections and understand the rationale for the measures taken by the administering power and the manner in which this has been received by the people of New Caledonia.
The sensitivities around the electoral list will require tact and transparency, and we note the work done by the DPPA or the Electoral Assistance Mission.
Madam Chair, Papa New Guine is committed to play a supportive role and guided by the wishes of the people of New Caledonia, including from the FLMKS and in accordance with the Charter mandate, and of course, with the role we play as a special committee member.
It is in this period that my delegation in close cooperation with our fellow Mili Mission and Pacific region neighbor Fiji, as C 24 members and as pen holders are striving to present to the committee the draft resolution on the question of New Caledonia on Friday.
In conclusion, Papua New Guinea reaffirmed its support for the people of New Caledonia and their self determination aspirations and reiterates its commitment to the objectives of the Special Committee and the UN decolonization process.
Finally, I want to pay special tribute once again to the Secretariat team from the decolonization Unit and from the D ACM for the invaluable contributions and support provided in making the committee's work noteworthy.
Thank you, indeed.
I thank the distinguished permanent representative of Papua New Guinea I don't recognize any further request for the floor.
At this point, I would like to remind the committee that it had acceded this morning to a request of petitioners to speak under this agenda item as contained in E Memoir 05 slash 26.
I invite the petitioners under this item to take a seat at the petitioners table.
Before giving the floor to the first petitioner, I remind all petitioners to kindly limit their statements to no more than 4 minutes.
As explained earlier, the red light on the microphone will begin to flash when there is 1 minute left before the end of the four minute speaking time.
Once the end of the 4 minutes is reached, the sound on the microphone will be cut off and it will no longer be possible to be heard.
In order to facilitate the work of interpreters, please submit your statements to eatements at un.org with a copy to the decolonization unit at DPPA decolonization unit at un.org.
I wish also to remind all petitioners to limit their statements strictly to the territory under which they have been approved to be heard.
I now invite Mr.
James Bakwan to address the committee.
Sir, you have the floor.
Please go ahead.
The Chair, members of this special committee, petitioners and observers, I greet you in the name of the Triune God and on behalf of the Pacific Conference of Churches and the Pacific Regional NGO Alliance.
I come before you again on the question of New Caledonia in solidarity with the people of Canaky and our member church, the Eugles Protestant Caneky Nouvel Caledoni.
In 2024, we warned that France could no longer be regarded as a neutral administrator of Kakey's decolonization.
The Pacific People's mission to Kakey New Caledonia conducted in April last year confirms that the violence of May 2024 emerged from an unfinished and flawed decolonization process, deep inequity, unfulfilled rebalancing commitments, and repeated breaches of trust.
The mission also witnessed how women, customer leaders, churches, and young people restored calm, shared food, reopened local markets, and held communities together, showing that peace and canopkey is already being woven from within and cannot be imposed from Paris.
Recent United Nations findings reinforce this specific evidence.
The Human Rights Committee found that the circumstances of the 2021 referendum denied the Kanak people the opportunity to give free, prior and informed consent.
The Committee Against Torture raised concerns over excessive and lethal force, arbitrary arrests, ill treatment, and the transfer of Kank detainees to European France.
The General Assembly Resolution 80 98 reaffirmed the right to self determination and continuing United Nations responsibility.
On seventh May this year, SRD warned that France risks undermining KC's self determination and call for effective participation and free prior and informed consent.
These findings cannot remain in separate United Nations files.
The C 24 and Fourth Committee must integrate them into their working papers, recommendations, and resolutions.
But institutional coherence must lead to action.
Less than five years remain in this fourth international decade for the eradication of colonialism.
This committee must ask whether annual consideration without a visiting mission, measurable benchmarks, or a decolonization timeline is advancing freedom or merely managing delay.
Kanky must not be carried unfinished into another decade.
The dismissal of charges against Christian and 13 others raises grave questions about their arrest, transfer, and prolonged separation from their people.
Elections cannot substitute for decolonization while the foundational political wound remains open.
With provisional elections approaching, the United Nations must urgently assess the electoral environment and ensure that the poll is not used to normalize an unresolved colonial situation, but forms part of a credible and freely negotiated pathway to self determination.
We therefore call on this committee to accept the Pacific People's Mission Report, urgently dispatch a joint C 24 and Melanesian Spearhead Group mission, deploy a United Nations Electoral Assessment mission, call for the release of Kank political prisoners and the return of Kakey to detainees transferred to Europe and France, and establish clear decolonization timelines respecting the Numeric Court and Kok customary institutions.
In a time where multilateralism is under threat, the United Nations must show that findings carry consequence and that its promise to colonize people is more than an annual resolution.
Ole Achuch, thank you.
I thank Mr.
James Bakan.
I now invite Mr.
Billy Wewe to address the committee.
Sir, you have the floor, please.
Microphone, please for Madam La President.
Madam Chair, ladies and gentlemen, members of the special committee greetings from the President Protestant Church of Kakey New Caledonia.
Since 1979, our church has been speaking out in favor of the independence of the Canuck people while affirming the dignity of other communities.
Affirming the existence of the Cancks does not deny the rights of others.
The justice that we are pursuing is not targeted at anyone, but rather is in favor of the life peace and dignity for all.
40 years after New Caledonia was re inscribed on the list of non self governing territories, the United Nations must be up to this critical moment.
Since May 2024, our people has been going through a deep rooted crisis.
We are not only here to describe a political conflict, but also to uphold the voices of families, women, mothers, young people, customary leaders, churches and communities that still face violence today.
The peoples of the Pacific have concluded that the 2024 uprising was not an isolated event, but rather the consequence of a failed decolonization process, the failed impartiality of the state, persistent socioeconomic injustice, and the collapse of confidence in the administering power and the political power.
The organs of the United Nations and France agree on three points.
Article 5 of the Numer Accord is irreversible.
The consent of the Canas is required and structural discrimination and the disproportionate use of force persists.
Behind each report, there is a human life.
Families are living on one meal a day, parents have lost their jobs, children are struggling to get back to school.
Workers are not able to move around because transport has collapsed and people are not asking for privileges, but rather dignity.
Order without justice is not peace.
Silence under pressure does not constitute consent.
The figures from the French Human Rights Commission itself denounce the system.
There's mass poverty, educational inequalities, and the overrepresentation of canks in prisons.
The canks fill up prisons, but they are absent from decision making places.
That is not just a social crisis, it is also a moral and political warning.
The rejection of accusations of insurrection by the French justice system make clear what is at stake here.
Militants remain in detention, families continue to be wounded and the people who died in May 2024 still require truth and accountability.
Elections organized without a comprehensive political agreement and with a modified electoral body and electorate without the free prior and informed consent of the Canuck people cannot restore confidence.
They will only exacerbate divisions.
We therefore call upon this committee to accept the report of the Mission of the peoples of the Pacific to urgently dispatch a joint C 24 mission to deploy an election evaluation mission by the United Nations to demand the release of political prisoners and the return of detainees that were transported to mainland France and to establish a clear timeline for decolonization that respects the Nya Accords and the customary institutions.
Madam Chair, This committee was not created just to document colonial injustice.
It was created to put an end to it.
The fourth international decade for the elimination of colonialism must take the form of concrete action.
Our church is not calling for hate or vengeance, but rather for truth, justice, and peace.
Real peace does not lie in forgetting our injuries, but rather in recognizing them, repairing them, and restoring dignity.
This committee today must hear the cry of a people, the prayer of a church, and a call for freedom for more than 40 years now.
Thank you.
I thank Mr.
Billy Witwe.
I now invite Mr.
Jerome Bouquet Al Kam.
You have the floor to address the committee.
Thank you.
Madam President.
Madam Chair Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I'm speaking on behalf of the customary Senate of New Caledonia.
Representation is only possible thanks to international solidarity from the non self governing ritories of Brittany, Catalonia, Scotland, Vaness, and Guyana.
We have seen a degradation of the humanitarian social and economic and political situation in the territory of New New Caledon Kanaki.
The French government has with the international people and the colonized Kanak people and the Caledonians themselves turned their backs on reason and on good faith and on the rule of law.
We are talking about saving the decolonization process while avoiding a new crisis.
The only economic recovery and alone will not be enough to do this.
The special committee, however, can play a role.
The issue is essentially a political one.
The future of self determination for the territory is at stake.
We have texts and the human cost has been high French justice made a ruling for the benefit of all Kc prisoners that had been accused of organizing an uprising in 2024.
We have learned that this crisis was just an expression of despair and was caused by the marginalization of the Kenk people on their own land and the breakdown of the commitment of the French state.
This decision continued, but for the legal framework of decolonization to to France, we'd have to go to the Committee of Human Rights and the CERD also recorded the need to follow Article 5 of the Numyer Accords in terms of preserving the decolonization process.
The Special Committee has the power to bring France to adhere to human rights and guarantee the integrity of the deconization process.
We believe that this is the case, and we believe that this can be envisaged through a resolution recalling the legal framework that is imposed on France in terms of decolonization of the territory.
In this regard, we would recommend that the special committee envisage a draft resolution for the GA, including the resolutions of the treaty bodies, asking the special committee to ensure follow up and implementation and telling France that New Caledonia will remain a non self governing territory and enjoys the rights of non self governing peoples and inviting France to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur on indigenous peoples and human rights mechanisms, authorizing them also to request an advisory opinion from the ICJ and application of Article paragraph two of the Charter of the United Nations in order to assess the Nemea Accords as an international treaty and the administrative powers that follow as a result, the act of possession of France and also the question of the territorial process of decolonization and the other customary rulings.
The draft resolution could also look at interpretation of Article 5 of the Numa Accords and resolutions 15 41 and the consideration that new Caledonia is only considered non self governing under Article 6 and seven and thus giving rise to free prior and informed consent.
The resolution could also invite the special committee to explore a new agreement with new modalities for supervision and support, including technical assistance, mediation, and good offices of the United Nations.
You could also strongly recall that this is an Ergonos obligation.
I thank you.
I thank Mr.
Jerome Bouquet El Karin and may I kindly request all petitioners to limit their statements to issues pertaining to the territory under consideration.
I thank you for that cooperation.
I now invite Mr.
Frederick Auger to address the committee.
You have the floor, please.
Madam President Madam Chair, Cs, ladies and gentlemen, I'm speaking on behalf of the Briton National Transition Council of Briton living state on the issue of the territory of Karky called New Caledonia by the colonizing state.
The support and solidarity of the Briton living people to the people of Karky beyond this petition is formalized by a treaty of perpetual alliance signed with I Ethn Canarky the Alliance of Kc Kingdoms.
The Indigenous Kank people, the legitimate owners of their lands have always been organized into sovereign kingdoms and not chiefdoms, as the colonial state calls them, which The colonial state, which through rhetorical means such as this one and through administrative means also subjugates the Kach people and erases their Kank identity by replacing it with a compulsory French identity.
The elimination of colonialism in all places without exception in all its forms is the goal of the fourth decade for the eradication of colonialism.
The Kank people must no longer be subject to any colonial state whatsoever in any form.
In Karky and elsewhere, the French colonial empire has continued its practice of aggression, territorial occupation.
Its fortunate maneuvers has continued to subdue peoples through grabbing land and the practice of inflation that impoverish his population, the prohibition of trade and private travel between the islands through the use of force, propaganda, diplomatic threats, and censorship to intimidate or silence those whom the French Republic calls citizens, but considers its slaves.
The special appertes the Humans Commtee the comite against, the committing the relation racial discrimination, CRT all denounce the fact that the French government is hindering decolonization of the self determination of the Indigenous Kanak people.
And violating human rights and the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People, it is also necessary to call out the militarization of New Caledonia and all the non self governing territories under French administration.
The recent French military programming law promulgated in August 2023 creates a regime of exception and threatens all people subject to the French Republic.
It should not apply under any circumstances to non self governing territories under French administration overseas colonies such Canaday or metropolitan colonies such as ours.
We recall the right of people to self determination is an ergoms obligation under international law.
It derives from the charters and resolutions of the United Nations and from the decisions of the ICJ.
Implementation is an imperative and as a matter of law and justice, it is not a political one.
Most of the non self governing territories annexed by the French kingdom, the French Empire, the various French Republics since 15 32 have been illegal, either in the name of discriminatory doctrines such as the theory of discovery or terra nulius or in violation of the law of treaties and the sovereignty of peoples annexed of France.
The recent restitution by France to the act of taking possesion of Canary, New Cedonia reflects the recognition of the sovereignty of the Kent people and the fraud or harm and illegality associated with their subjugation.
Until their sovereignty is fully restored, the special committee on Deconization shall propose that Canary New Caledonia continue to be listed as a non self governing territory and that it continued to be monitored until the next year resolution.
The Special Committee on deconization should also pay particular attention to the fundamental rights situation and the legal situation of non self governing territories.
The special committee should register or all territories to be colonized the annexation to France has been carried out since 15 32 in violation of us cogs and indigenous people such as the Kake in Brittany and others are the spiritual guardians and owners of their lands.
Finally, in order to achieve the goal of eradicating colonialism everywhere and without exception, this presupposed address on the question of the illegality of annexation processes including that of Canarky and we should consider where it was born in Europe, the credibility of the United Nations at stake.
I thank you.
I thank miss Frederick Ugur, but may I also kindly remind participants to speak at a reasonable pace in order to facilitate the work of the interpreters so that we could communicate your statements effectively.
And may I also kindly request petitioners to limit their statements to issues pertaining to the territory under consideration.
Given the short time that you have, I would prefer not to interrupt, but we would request that you stick to the issues pertaining to the territory under consideration.
I thank you for your cooperation.
I now invite miss Lucia Courtier to address the committee.
Madam, you have the floor, please.
Madam President Madam Chair, distinguished members of the committee, allow me, first of all, to express our gratitude to the government and people of Nicaragua for the warm welcome that we received during the C 24 seminar held last May.
I'm addressing you as a petitioner and as a coordinator of the Collective Justice May 13th May Justice Collective created in the midst of May 2024 to document the serious violations of fundamental rights that disproportionately affect the Kanak people, a territory that remains listed on the United Nations list of non self governing territories beyond the recent crisis.
The situation in Kake in, New Caledonia is rooted in a long history of colonization This is marked by land dispossession, exploitation of resources, and political marginalization of the Kank people.
Decolonization is not limited to simple institutional adjustments.
Decolonization requires recognition of the historic harms and implementation of measures including economic debt cancellation that weighs on the country in order to enable the Kanak people to fully exercise their right to self determination.
The crisis of May 2024 is the result of an incomplete process of decolonization, the holding of the third referendum in 2021, despite a year of customary mourning, followed by the attempt to enfree the provincial electoral role unilaterally were experience as a profound challenge to the Numayer Accord.
In May 2024, the use of force led to the deaths of at least 14 people, most of them Kanak civilians.
Whereas hundreds of people, the vast majority of them Kanak were arrested amidst allegations of arbitrary detention and ill treatment.
The prison situations further aggravated these violations, overcrowding, degrading conditions at Nemea prison, the overwhelming overrepresentation of Kank people amongst the detainees and the large scale transfer of Kank prisoners to metropolitan France at a time when armed anti indepent militias were mounting roadblocks and creating a climate of fear.
On the 5th of June, investigating judges in Paris ordered a full dismissal of proceedings in favor of the 14 Kank activists.
This decision confirms the deeply political criminal nature of the repression targeting the Kak Pro independence movement, while those responsible for the death of 12 Kank people for the violence committed by the law enforcement and militia remains largely unpunished.
Madam Chair, we have four requests.
First, we ask you to find the conditions under which the third referendum of 2021 was held did not allow for freedom and for expression of the will of the Kank people.
We ask you to recommend that there should be a new consultation process with the FLNKS in accordance with international standards on declinization.
Second, we ask you to condemn the Violence and the repression of demonstrations and to call for an open, independent, swift, effective investigation to deaths and violence and human rights violations committed in Kanaki, New Caledonia, so that truth and justice might finally be delivered to the Kank people and so the families of those killed may have access to reparations thirdly.
We ask you to recommend that France publicly acknowledge that the accusations brought against the 14 Kanak activists were unfounded and to establish measures of reparation, including compensation for un justified detention and transfers that they were subjected to fourth, we ask you to recall that decolonization cannot be effective without recognition of the collective rights of the Canuck people over their lands, their resources, and their institutions, and that we require guaranteeing detention conditions of cars that comply with international standards, ending arbitrary transfers to metropolitan France and ensuring the return of all prisoners who wish to return.
I thank you.
I thank miss Lucia Couture.
I believe that's our last week.
The committee has concluded this stage of its consideration of the item, Question of New Caledonia.
The committee will now begin its consideration of the item entitled Question of the United States Virgin Islands.
In that context, I wish to draw your attention to a working paper Prepared by the Secretariat for information and contained in document A slash AC 109 slash 2026 slash 16.
The committee will today listen to the speakers who have requested the floor under this item and take action on the related draft resolution at its plenary meetings scheduled on Friday 26 June.
Does any delegation wish to make a statement on this item? I have no request for the floor.
At this point, I would like to remind the committee that it had acceded this morning to the request of a petitioner to speak under this agenda item contained in Eid Memoir 08 slash 26.
I now invite Mr.
Russell Christopher to take a seat at the petitioner's table and address the committee.
I remind the petitioner to kindly limit his statement to 4 minutes.
Mr.
Christopher, you now have the floor.
Please proceed.
Microphone for the petitioner, please.
Please proceed.
Good afternoon, Honorable Chair and members of the committee.
On behalf of the ancestral and native Virgin Islanders, I submit this petition to the Special Committee on decolonization to address the ongoing colonial status of what is known as the US Virgin Islands and the systemic deprivation of our rights to self determine through neocolonialism.
We formally challenged the plenary power exercised by the United States government over what is known as the USVI.
This unilateral authority, rooted in the 1917 Treaty of session, treats our people and land as mere property.
Self determination is an inherent right that cannot be governed or restricted by laws of the colonizer under the banner of an imperialistic flag.
The current administrative framework is a direct violation of UN resolution 15 14 and other related UN resolutions and Chapter 11 of the UN Charter.
We assert that the people of the USVI have already expressed our legitimate will through our 2009 Constitutional Convention.
This document, drafted by elected delegates, reflects our genuine interest and is in full harmony with international law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
We reject any external interference or misinformation that seeks to sabotage the self determination process from the colonizer and missioned neo colonialists.
The administering power continues to disseminate propaganda suggesting that what is known as the USVI is a self governing territory under an act directed by the US Congress.
We bring to this committee's attention the persistent exclusion of native voices from critical decision making bodies and the ongoing economic exploitation that characterizes our current status.
A regressive deterioration of non sustainable economy, catastrophic decline of our hospital systems, a lamentable worsening of our school systems, and a dire regression of the infrastructure and utility systems.
As the USVI is one of the few remaining non self governing territories, we urge the C 24 to immediately dispatch a formal visiting mission to our islands as the formal and current procedure for the invite of the visiting mission would have to be initiated by the colonizer.
Such a mission is vital to gather firsthand evidence of the political, social and economic realities on the ground bypassing the filtered narratives provided by the administering power.
The legacy of the 1917 sale of our islands from Denmark to the United States remains a profound scar.
We demand that the United Nations fulfill its mandate to eradicate colonialism in all its forms and all its manifestations by the end of this decade and support what is known as the USVI in achieving a full measure of self government through but not limited to the recommendations suggested by resolutions 15 14, 15 41, 26 25, 21 31, 26 49, and 27 87 or any related options.
That is to be determined solely by the natives ancestral people of the Virgin Islands.
Respectfully, Russell Christopher.
Thank you.
I thank Mr.
Russell Christopher.
The committee has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of the item of the United States Virgin Islands.
In accordance with our program of work, the committee will next meet tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M.
In this conference room to commence its consideration of the item entitled Question of Western Sahara.
This meeting is adjourned.