159 countries support draft resolution on decolonization of French Polynesia

The Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly has approved a draft resolution on French Polynesia, reaffirming the right of its people to self-determination. The document was supported by 159 states.

As the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) told Report, two countries voted against the resolution, and another four abstained. France was among those that abstained.

The draft resolution demands that France cooperate with the UN in the decolonization process and take concrete steps in this direction.

In particular, it envisions creating conditions for dispatching a fact-finding mission of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) to French Polynesia, preparing a corresponding work program under UN auspices, and initiating a structured dialogue between France and local authorities regarding the terms and timeline of the self-determination process.

The document also highlights the rights of the local population to natural resources and the consequences of the nuclear tests conducted by France between 1966 and 1996.

In a statement, the Tavini Huiraatira party, which advocates for the independence of French Polynesia, regarded the voting results as an important international political signal against France's ongoing colonial policy in the region.

BIG, in turn, viewed France's position as evidence of its reluctance to voluntarily abandon its colonial past.