BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 15. The 4th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent is taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York from April 14 to 17, 2025, Trend reports.
The session includes participation from the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) and its close partners—political movements advocating for independence in territories still under French and Dutch colonial rule.
The Permanent Forum is a UN body focused on addressing the lasting injustices caused by slavery and colonialism.
Thanks to ongoing cooperation between BIG and the Forum, representatives from territories administered by France and the Netherlands—including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Kanaky (New Caledonia), Sint Maarten, Réunion, Bonaire, Aruba, Maohi Nui (French Polynesia), and French Guiana—were, for the first time, given the opportunity to present their peoples’ demands from the UN stage.
Speaking at the opening of the session, BIG Executive Director Abbas Abbasov outlined the group’s efforts toward decolonization and reaffirmed their support for communities still living under colonial rule.
Abbasov also announced that the conference “Decolonization: The Silent Revolution”, organized by BIG with the support of the Forum, will take place on April 15. The event will focus on the serious, ongoing impacts of French and Dutch colonialism.
During the session, Abbasov met with the President of the Permanent Forum, Martin Kimani, and presented him with a book titled “The Evolution of French Colonialism: A Political and Constitutional Study”, commissioned by BIG.
