By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
Kanaky New Caledonia civil society groups have called on Pacific Islands Forum leaders to take stronger action on decolonisation, human rights and self-determination, accusing France of presenting a misleading picture of the situation in the territory.
As the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Retreat gets under way in Koror, Palau, the groups have urged Forum leaders not to accept what they described as a “facade narrative” that presents decolonisation in Kanaky New Caledonia as complete.
The groups call for greater Pacific involvement in monitoring developments and supporting a process of self-determination.
“Pacific Leaders must not allow themselves to be misled by a facade narrative that conceals documented violations of decolonisation commitments and of the fundamental rights of the Kanak indigenous people,” the groups said.
The statement was endorsed by the Australian Association for Pacific Studies, the Église Protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie, La Pause Décoloniale and the International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination.
The groups highlighted the Pacific Peoples’ Mission to Kanaky New Caledonia following the violent unrest of May 2024.
They said the mission engaged directly with communities, customary leaders, women, young people and families of detainees and documented accounts of trauma, alleged law-enforcement abuses and economic hardship.
The groups said the mission provided a direct picture of conditions on the ground that could not be captured through official administrative reporting.
They argued that the findings should guide regional engagement under the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
The statement also referred to the Pacific Islands Forum’s principle that the regional agenda should be “conceived by the Pacific, shaped by the Pacific and owned by the Pacific.”
The civil society groups said three issues required urgent regional attention.
They said the human impact of the 2024 unrest should not be overshadowed by discussions about economic damage and public finances.
The statement referred to 14 deaths, hundreds of injuries, displaced workers and continuing community trauma.
It also raised concerns about the use of force and alleged human rights violations, referring to findings and opinions by French and United Nations human rights bodies.
The groups also raised concerns about the transfer of Kanak detainees and young people to metropolitan France, describing the removals as arbitrary and saying families and legal representatives had not always been given prior notification.
They called for regional diplomatic efforts to support the return of Kanak individuals transferred from the territory.
The groups also warned against what they described as a “colonial debt trap” as discussions continue in Paris over New Caledonia’s public finances.
They said long-term loans should not replace what they described as France’s responsibility to provide national solidarity and reparations following the crisis.
“Over-indebtedness must not become a colonial tool to crush local autonomy or burden future generations of Oceanian youth,” the statement said.
The groups urged Forum leaders to use the region’s diplomatic influence to seek verifiable commitments from France on a clear self-determination process consistent with United Nations resolutions and international law.
They also proposed a joint Pacific observation mission involving regional civil society networks to monitor humanitarian needs, reconstruction and detention conditions.
The statement said regional leaders could also use diplomatic good offices to support family unity and secure the return of Kanak activists and young people transferred to metropolitan France.
The groups further called on Pacific countries, particularly Papua New Guinea and Fiji as members of the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation, to support efforts for an official visiting mission to Kanaky New Caledonia.
The civil society groups said their call was consistent with wider regional political efforts, including a recent Melanesian Spearhead Group position advocating for a decolonisation framework “of Kanak design and Melanesian spirit.”
They said Pacific leaders meeting in Koror had an opportunity to demonstrate regional solidarity by linking France’s position as a Pacific Islands Forum Dialogue Partner to progress on self-determination and decolonisation.
The statement said the Pacific’s regional security framework could not be separated from issues of human dignity, indigenous rights and self-determination.
