Baku Initiative Group achieves international triumph
Baku, October 2, AZERTAC
The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) has marked another significant achievement. BIG’s report was reflected in the UN Secretary-General’s 2025 report on the Programme of Action for the Implementation of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent.
The document highlights BIG as the sole NGO among global civil society organizations working towards the decolonization and independence of small island peoples.
In May this year, BIG submitted a report on its activities under the Second International Decade for People of African Descent to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The report detailed key initiatives, including the international conference “Independence of Réunion Island: Reassessing France’s Colonial Legacy and the Path to Sovereignty” held on January 21, 2025; the international press tour organized on February 24–26 with journalists covering French and Dutch former colonies; and the international conference “Decolonization: A Silent Revolution” held at the UN Headquarters in New York on April 15.
Alongside representatives of colonized territories, BIG’s Executive Director Abbas Abbasov addressed the fourth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent at the UN General Assembly.
As part of its contribution to the Second International Decade for People of African Descent, BIG adopted the appeal “Reparations: Confronting the Colonial Legacy” and launched an international petition calling for recognition of colonial oppression and demands for reparations. The document strongly condemns the avoidance of responsibility for historical crimes by former colonial states, stressing that reparations are not only a legal obligation but also a moral duty to restore justice and human dignity.
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