Participation of Mr. Jean-Louis d’Anglebermes, Vice President of the government of New Caledonia, in the regional seminar of the United Nation’s Special Committee on Decolonisation

Managua, Nicaragua, from the 19th to the 21st of May 2015

Mr. Jean-Louis d’Anglebermes, Vice President of the Government of New Caledonia, has represented the New Caledonian government at the Committee of 24’s Caribbean Regional Seminar. He participated in this annual seminar in accordance with the provisions of section 3.2.1. of the Noumea Accord which foresees that “the path [of New Caledonia] towards emancipation will be brought to the attention of the United Nations.”

On Tuesday, 19th  May, Mr. d’Anglebermes gave a speech to the 29 Member States of the Special Committee on Decolonisation, to numerous other members of the United Nations and to representatives of other “non-self-governing” territories registered on the list of countries to be decolonised (American Samoa, Guam, Turks and Caicos Islands, Saint Helena and Western Sahara). Furthermore, a large number of representatives from civil society and experts on the issue of decolonisation participated in these discussions.

In his speech, Mr. d’Anglebermes briefly presented New Caledonia’s institutional news. He readdressed the next stages of the finalisation of the Noumea Accord. As such, he discussed issues of Kanak identity, New Caledonian citizenship, an increased role to be given to New Caledonian citizens under State administration, economic and social rebalancing and transfer of powers remaining in operation under article 27 and the guardianship of the Agency for Rural Development and Land Management (ADRAF).

Mr. d’Anglebermes then returned to other issues and the last parliamentary term of the Noumea Accord: the mining and metallurgy sector, the economic and social model reform and the strengthening of the integration of New Caledonia in the Pacific. Lastly, he touched on the prospect of voting to exit the Noumea Accord.

On the sidelines of this seminar, the Vice President of the Government was able to meet with the President of the Committee of 24, the Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations. He also met with the Ambassador of France to Nicaragua and several representatives of Member States of the Committee of 24 and of non-self-governing territories registered on the United Nation’s list of countries to be decolonised.