BIG calls for reparations and global accountability at UN decolonization conference

An international conference titled “Decolonization: A Quiet Revolution” was held on April 15 at the UN Headquarters in New York, organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) in cooperation with the International Decolonization Front, as part of the 4th session of the Permanent Forum of Peoples of African Descent, Azernews reports.

The event brought together experts, politicians, and activists from territories still grappling with the legacy of colonialism—including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Kanaki (New Caledonia), Sint-Martin, Reunion, Bonaire, Aruba, Maohi Nui (French Polynesia) and French Guiana. Participants highlighted the social, economic, and political harm caused by French and Dutch colonial policies, and emphasized the need to raise the voices of colonized peoples on the global stage.

In his opening remarks, BIG Executive Director Abbas Abbasov declared that their support for national and independence movements would persist. He noted that a “second wave of decolonization”, sparked by Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement and the activities of BIG, has already begun to yield tangible progress.

Sessions such as “Public Memory, Erasure and Resistance of Indigenous Peoples of African Descent” and “Dynamics of Geopolitical Decolonization in Territories Under Colonial Rule” examined the continued struggle of colonized peoples and the failure of former colonial empires to reckon with their past.

At the conclusion of the conference, BIG and participating delegates launched a global petition titled “Recognition of Colonial Oppression and Demand for Compensation”, calling for:

• International recognition of the material and moral damage caused by colonialism

• Official apologies from former colonial powers

• Provision of reparations and debt relief

• Support for cultural, social, and environmental rehabilitation

The petition can be accessed online here.

The final declaration of the event strongly condemned the ongoing refusal of colonial powers such as France and the Netherlands to acknowledge their historical crimes, and expressed support for NGOs like BIG working within international legal frameworks to expose and confront colonial legacies. The declaration also condemned the resolution passed by the French National Assembly on March 28 targeting the Baku Initiative Group.

The conference concluded with expressions of gratitude to BIG for its leadership in promoting decolonization efforts and raising global awareness of this urgent cause.