BONAIRE:--- The Bonaire Human Rights Organization (BHRO) and James Finies distance themselves from the conference held in Washington, D.C., titled "Right of Return and Self-Determination: Double Standards and Selective Approaches," organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), an organization from Azerbaijan.
Contrary to Google search information and other media outlets, BHRO and James Finies did not participate in this conference held recently in Washington DC.
In addition, James Finies distances himself from the statements made by Aruba, Curacao, St Maarten, St Eustatius, and Saba, including One St Maarten made by Rhoda Arrindel, National Alliance made by Christopher Emmanuel, St Eustatius’s Charles Woodley, Curacao's Na Kaminda Pa Libertat made by Disrael Orpheline, and other participants from Aruba and Saba.
Baku Initiative Group sent an invitation to James Finies and BHRO to attend this conference, which BHRO, as we are following a United Nations-level, diplomatically led trajectory, foreseeably advised against, and we made the decision not to participate and respectfully declined the invitation.
BHRO and James Finies, therefore, wish to distance themselves from this conference ("Right of Return and Self-Determination: Double Standards and Selective Approaches”) and from any statements, positions, conclusions, recommendations, agreements, or declarations arising from this event made by representatives from Aruba, Curacao, St Maarten, St Eustatius, and Saba.
Such views should not be interpreted as reflecting the position of BHRO, James Finies, and the people of Bonaire.
As an independent organization, BHRO and James Finies carefully evaluate all invitations, partnerships, and initiatives to ensure that participation is consistent with its mandate, principles, strategic objectives, and wishes, and wishes to reiterate that, in our view, this conference was not in line with the above.
BHRO remains focused on advancing the rights and interests of the people of Bonaire through constructive dialogue with member states of the United Nations and reiterates that BHRO support to James Finies international trajectory that is not seeking independence from the Netherlands but protection of Bonaire peoples under the UN Charter as the Bonerians being the majority over 70% after 2010 were reduced today to less then 30% facing demographic and cultural erasure according to CBS statistics.
This catastrophic erasure is not the case in Aruba, Curacao, St Maarten, Saba, or St Eustatius.
Therefore, BHRO and James Finies distance themselves from this conference and the statements made by the representatives of the Baku Initiative group, St Maarten, St. Eustatius, Curacao, Aruba, and Saba.