BAKU—The Baku Initiative Group has submitted an alternative report to the UN Human Rights Committee for the upcoming 142nd session, critiquing France’s colonial practices, specifically in New Caledonia and French Polynesia.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the session, scheduled from October 14 to November 8, 2024, will review country reports on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by Ecuador, France, Greece, Iceland, Pakistan, and Türkiye. The covenant obliges member states to support the right to self-determination in territories they effectively colonize, per the UN Charter. The report by the Baku Initiative Group, titled “The enduring legacy of French colonialism continues to significantly impede the exercise of the right to self-determination: In the example of New Caledonia (Kanaki) and French Polynesia (Ma`ohi Nui),” alleges ongoing colonial policies by France. This alternative report is now accessible on the official website of the UN Human Rights Committee.

The Baku Initiative Group, established under Azerbaijan’s leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement, advocates against colonialism and supports the independence struggles of colonized peoples. The French country report will be discussed during the committee sessions on October 22-23.