BAKU—James Finies, Founder of the Bonaire Movement for Change, marked a historic moment for the people of Bonaire as he addressed an international conference titled “Bonaire’s Pathway from Baku through UN General Assembly to Self-Determination” in Baku on Thursday. The conference highlighted the island’s pursuit of self-determination on a global platform.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Finies expressed gratitude to the Baku Initiative Group and the Azerbaijani government for their hospitality. He emphasized the significance of the occasion, noting, “This is the first time in our history that a group of the Bonaire citizens appears on the global stage to fight for their rights and the rights of their future generations.” Finies also underscored the resilience of Bonaire’s native Papiamentu language, which remains one of the few Caribbean languages to have survived colonization.