BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 4. On June 3, during the international scientific conference on “Constructing Empires: Colonial Ideologies and Realities” held in Azerbaijan’s capital, the Baku Declaration on Scientific Commitment to Decolonization and Reparations Issues was adopted.
Trend presents the declaration:
“We, the undersigned academicians and scholars of the International Scientific Conference entitled "Constructing Empires: Colonial Ideologies and Realities," gathered in Baku on June 3, 2025, reaffirm our enduring commitment to the universal values of human rights, justice, decolonization, scientific freedom, and the pursuit of truth through our academic initiatives and approaches.
We assert the pivotal role of research and education in advancing understanding, fostering dialogue, and promoting respect for human dignity and the right to decolonization, acknowledging the persistent legacies of colonialism in contemporary societies and recognizing the need for continued scientific engagement with its ideological, political, social, cultural, and economic dimensions.
We recognize that the historical processes and structures of colonial domination have left deep-rooted and multilayered impacts across continents, many of which remain insufficiently addressed. As academics representing diverse disciplines, regions, and intellectual traditions, we affirm the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and independent research in interrogating these legacies and exploring pathways toward equity, reconciliation, and empowerment.
We acknowledge the initiative of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent and the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent to establish the Global Network for the Study of Africans and People of African Descent (GSAP). This network aims to connect researchers, legal practitioners, policy experts, educators, academic institutions, schools, and universities to support UN anti-racism mechanisms, Member States, UN agencies, civil society, activists, and the general public.
We further underscore the necessity of creating inclusive scientific spaces where historically marginalized voices and perspectives are brought to the forefront of discourse on decolonization and human rights. So, we do seek to contribute meaningfully to global efforts aimed at dismantling systemic injustices and promoting intellectual plurality.
In this spirit, and without constituting a binding commitment, we collectively express our intention to pursue and support future academic cooperation in the field of decolonization and reparations issues.
To this end, we declare our shared aim to establish an International Research and Knowledge Platform on Decolonization, aimed at facilitating scholarly exchange, fostering joint research initiatives, supporting early-career researchers, and strengthening transnational scientific solidarity on matters of mutual concern.
We call upon international organizations, intergovernmental bodies, regional institutions, and civil society actors to lend their support to this platform. Such support will be crucial to effectively address systemic injustices and promote reparations, sustainable development, and decolonization.”
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