UNITED Nations decolonisation talks on New Caledonia have come under renewed pressure after Pacific church leaders called for urgent action over unrest that killed at least 13 people in 2024.
Église Protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie General Secretary Rev. Billy Wetewea told the UN C-24 Committee in New York that the violence exposed a failed and unfinished decolonisation process, widening inequality and broken political commitments.
In an oral statement, Pacific Conference of Churches General Secretary Rev. James Bhagwan said the unrest grew out of “an unfinished and flawed decolonisation process, deep inequality, unfulfilled rebalancing commitments, and repeated breaches of trust.
“Less than five years remain in this Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. Kanaky must not be carried unfinished into another decade.”
Bhagwan also warned that the upcoming elections could not be treated as a substitute for a political settlement.
“With provincial elections approaching, the United Nations must urgently assess the electoral environment and ensure that the poll is not used to normalise an unresolved colonial situation, but forms part of a credible and freely negotiated pathway to self-determination,” he said.
“At a time when multilateralism is under threat, the United Nations must show that its findings carry consequence and that its promise to colonised peoples is more than an annual resolution.”
Wetewea said recognition of Kanak rights should not be framed as exclusionary.
“Affirming Kanak existence does not deny the rights of others. The justice we seek is not against anyone, but for life, peace and dignity for all,” he said.
He said families had lost jobs and income, children had struggled to return to school, and poverty, unequal access to education and the overrepresentation of Kanak people in prison pointed to “a deeper political and moral crisis.”
“Order without justice is not peace. Silence under pressure is not consent,” Wetewea said.
“Our church does not call for hatred or revenge. We call for truth, justice, and peace.”
