An international conference titled “Injustices of Belgian Colonialism and 101 Years of Struggle for Reparations” will be held in Baku, organized by the Baku Initiative Group, APA reports.
The event will be attended by officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Burundi, which are former Belgian colonies and where Belgium still maintains neo-colonial influence, as well as from Morocco and South Africa, and representatives of the UN.
Among the guests are the Ombudsman of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), members of the Congolese Parliament, Rwanda’s ambassador to Türkiye and diplomats, as well as UN experts.
The conference will also be attended by experts, researchers and human rights defenders specializing in international law, the restoration of historical justice and reparations, among others.
Conference participants will discuss advancing on the agenda of the UN, including the Human Rights Council, the issue of an official apology and payment of compensation by Belgium for crimes committed against the peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Burundi during the colonial period, as well as developing an international binding mechanism to oversee the implementation of Belgium’s reparation and restitution obligations in accordance with the principles enshrined in UN General Assembly Resolution 60/147.
The event will also focus on ensuring full and unhindered access to Belgium’s colonial archives, involving specialists from former colonial territories in the processes on an equal footing with international experts, and returning human remains and other historical materials to their countries of origin.
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