St Vincent & The Grenadines supports West Papuan self-determination at the United Nations General Assembly

September 26, 2017

On Friday 22nd September, at the United Nations General Assembly, the Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines H.E. Mr. Louis Straker, addressed the General Debate and spoke passionately about the people of West Papua and their struggle for freedom.

Addressing decolonization as a whole, the Deputy Prime Minister spoke of the nations whose “self-determination was achieved under the watchful eye of the United Nations.”

He went onto say, “The inconvenient truth is that the decolonisation process remains incomplete And an intensification of effort is essential in achieving the goal of full self-government through the attainment of a legitimate political status option providing for absolute political equality.” 

Regarding West Papua, The Deputy Prime Minister spoke of the West Papuan people’s overhwelming desire for freedom, stating,

“We have great sympathy for the legitimate aspiration of the people of West Papua for freedom and independence through legitimate political means to govern themselves and guide their own destiny.”

The people of West Papua are incredibly grateful at this groundbreaking support from the first Caribbean nation at the UN General Assembly and we express our sincerest and most heartfelt thanks for this incredible spirit of solidarity.

Support for West Papua’s fundamental right to self-determination is absolutely crucial for the future of the West Papuan people and it takes true comradeship and human compassion to stand up for West Papuan self-determination as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have all done at the UN General Assembly.

Last night in the capital city of Port Numbay/Jayapura in West Papua, people demonstrated to show their thanks and support to the African, Caribbean and Pacific nations which supported West Papuan self-determination at the United Nations.

We send our deepest solidarity and undying support to St Vincent and the Grenadines and all the nations of the Caribbean during the terrible onslaught of hurricanes. We also send our deepest solidarity to all nations in the struggle against climate change and we urge everyone to take all possible actions to help to stop the effects of climate change.