The President of the UC–FLNKS and Nationalist Group in the Congress of New Caledonia, Pierre Chanel Tein Tutugoro, has issued an urgent international appeal calling for the establishment of a joint United Nations–Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) facilitation mechanism to restore dialogue and ensure the decolonisation of Kanaky–New Caledonia.
In a letter addressed to the UN Fourth Committee, the Special Committee on Decolonisation, the UN Secretariat, the Forum Troika, and the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), Tutugoro said New Caledonia’s political crisis had reached a critical point and demanded immediate international engagement.
“For over twenty-five years, the Nouméa Accord of 1998 has provided the framework for New Caledonia’s political trajectory, outlining a progressive path toward self-determination,” he said. “However, the third referendum, held on 12 December 2021 under exceptional health and customary circumstances, was imposed despite our repeated requests for postponement.”
Tutugoro said the result of that referendum, which proceeded without the participation of most Kanak people, “left behind a profound fracture and a contestation that remains unresolved, including within the United Nations system.”
He added that the situation had been made worse by the French government’s 2024 attempt to reform the electoral roll — a move he described as “undermining the fundamental provisions of the Nouméa Accord and a deliberate dilution of New Caledonian citizenship.”
“The ensuing unrest resulted in serious human and material losses, painfully recalling the tragic memories of the 1980s,” Tutugoro said.
He also rejected the so-called “Bougival Accord” signed in Paris in 2025, saying it failed to meet the aspirations of the Kanak people.
“This text, which maintains New Caledonia within the French Republic with limited and conditional transfers of powers, does not address the legitimate aspirations of our people,” he said. “Consequently, during our extraordinary congress of 9 August 2025, the FLNKS solemnly rejected this proposal, confirming that it could not constitute the basis for consensus.”
Tutugoro pointed to the findings of the Pacific Islands Forum’s Troika Plus Mission, which visited New Caledonia last year, as evidence of the country’s deepening divisions.
“The Troika Plus Mission of the Pacific Islands Forum, to which I had the privilege of contributing, delivered a clear and sobering assessment: deep political polarization, widespread mistrust, worsening social inequalities, and a high risk of lasting instability,” he said.
He noted that the 54th Pacific Islands Forum in September 2025 had also recognised the gravity of the situation, highlighting that the New Caledonian process was “at a critical juncture and must be guided by a truly inclusive dialogue.”
Calling on the international community to act, Tutugoro emphasised that New Caledonia remains listed by the United Nations as a Non-Self-Governing Territory.
“In accordance with General Assembly Resolutions 1514 and 1541, our people are entitled to the exercise of their inalienable right to self-determination,” he said. “Yet this right can only be guaranteed if an impartial and secure framework is urgently established.”
Tutugoro called for “the immediate establishment of a joint facilitation mechanism under the auspices of the United Nations and the Pacific Islands Forum.”
“Such a mechanism would supervise a cycle of inclusive dialogues, open to all components of our society, including youth, women, customary authorities, and economic actors,” he said.
“It would ensure that discussions are conducted transparently, under the authority of respected international guarantors.”
He added that such a process “would help restore confidence, prevent further violence, and guarantee that the future of Kanaky–New Caledonia is determined freely, in full conformity with international law.”
Tutugoro urged France to suspend “any unilateral implementation of the post-Bougival framework” and warned that peace and security in both New Caledonia and the Pacific region depend on establishing an impartial mechanism for dialogue.
“The establishment of an impartial framework is essential before any resumption of discussions on the future of our country, as the security and peace of New Caledonia and of the Pacific region depend on it,” he said.
He concluded by reaffirming the FLNKS’s readiness to engage with international partners: “We remain at your full disposal for any further engagement or hearing that may assist in identifying a peaceful and just solution for the future of our country.”
