The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) and the Bonaire Movement for Human Rights and Change are hosting an international conference today in Baku, focussing on Bonaire’s situation under Dutch colonial rule.

The conference, titled “The Path of Bonaire’s Self-Determination through the UN General Assembly in Baku,” will bring together representatives from Bonaire who advocate for freedom and fight against colonialism. Attendees will include officials from Belize, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, St. Lucia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, the Netherlands, the UN, and other international and regional organisations, along with human rights activists, NGO leaders, and decolonisation experts.

Notable participants include the Special Representative of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Permanent Representative of Belize to the UN, the UNICEF Youth Envoy, the Caribbean Community Youth Ambassador, and the Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

The conference will highlight the Bonairean people’s ongoing struggle to break free from Dutch colonial rule and efforts to bring their cause to the attention of relevant international bodies.

This event is particularly significant for the Bonairean people as several nations prepare to submit a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly in the coming weeks, aiming to re-list the island as a territory in need of decolonization. One of the conference’s main goals is to rally international support for this resolution.

Azerbaijan’s role in hosting such a pivotal event underscores its growing prominence as a global leader in the fight against colonisation.