Baku (Azerbaijan), Nov 23 (PTI) Denouncing the new French colonial settlement system, organisations from the last French colonies have signed a joint declaration here to push for decolonisation, a cause supported by the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
Organisations from the French colonies of Guadeloupe, Polynesia, Martinique, Kanaki and Guiana resolved during a conference here on Tuesday that denounced the French doctrine of settlement colonisation, whose political goal, they claimed, is “to annihilate any resistance within the territories occupied by France” and “by making populations of these territories minorities in their own countries.”
The conference ‘Decolonisation: Women’s Empowerment and Development’ was hosted by Azerbaijan as the current chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a global platform that brings together 120 countries across the continents.
NAM has taken it upon itself to define new goals in support of people who are still struggling against colonial powers based on the fundamental principles of international law. The conference included representatives from 14 countries and maritime territories held by France under colonial control.
Demanding immediate withdrawal of the proposed law as mentioned in the draft Finance Bill of France, the organisations said: “The Government of France has, in fact, decided to establish a system which financially and administratively supports any French resident in ‘mainland’ France who wants to settle permanently in our countries.”
“Rather than encouraging the return of young people wishing to help their country with their skills and projects, and even when unemployment hits severely young people in these territories, the Government of France is establishing a new colonial settlement system,” the joint declaration said.
During the conference, supporters of the independence of Martinique, Guyana, New Caledonia, and French Polynesia reaffirmed and emphasised the “reliability of the principled position of the Non-Aligned Movement in the fight against colonial and neo-colonial practices.”
“The main objective of the conference was to draw attention to the international community on the plight of women in territories still under colonial rule due to ongoing colonialism policies in the 21st century,” said Abbas Abbasov, Executive Director, Baku Initiative Group (BIG).
The BIG was established on July 6, 2023, by participants of the ‘Complete Eradication of Colonialism’ conference during the meeting of ministers of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan.
