The participants of the international conference entitled “Right of Return and Decolonization: Restoration of Delayed Historical Justice,” held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 28, issued a joint appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteurs.

Axar.az reports that the appeal reads: “Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, including the principles of equal rights, self-determination of peoples, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the international human rights covenants and relevant the UN instruments concerning the right of return, decolonization and the protection of fundamental rights;

Reaffirming that all peoples have the right to freely determine their political status and to pursue their economic, social and cultural development in accordance with international law;

Recognizing the importance of ensuring the safe and dignified return to their native and ancestral lands, together with the restoration of their property rights and the protection of their cultural, religious and historical heritage;

Expressing concern over inconsistent and selective approaches to the application of the principles of the right of return, self-determination and decolonization in different regions and contexts;

Emphasizing the need for peaceful, inclusive and rights-based solutions grounded in international law and ensuring the meaningful participation of communities;

Having considered the views and concerns expressed during the conference by representatives of the Baku Initiative Group, as well as representatives of communities and organizations addressing issues of the right of return, decolonization, self-determination, cultural identity and historical justice;

In this context, the participants of the conference respectfully call upon the Special Rapporteurs, to:

- Call for the continued promotion of safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return as an essential component of durable peace, including for those affected in Western Azerbaijan, Bonaire, Aruba and Sint Maarten, as well as members of Sikh, Congolese, Burundian and Rwandan communities;

- Encourage the establishment of transparent and accessible mechanisms for the restitution of housing, land and property, or, where appropriate, the provision of adequate compensation;

- Emphasize the importance of preserving and ensuring access to civil registries, property records, archives and other documentation necessary to establish residence, ownership, inheritance and family links, particularly for communities whose historical ties to their lands and territories remain affected by colonial rule or other historical injustices;

- Call for effective guarantees for the protection and preservation of the cultural, religious and historical heritage of Azerbaijan in the territory of Armenia, as well as the heritage of Bonaire, Aruba and Sint Maarten, as well as Sikh, Congolese, Burundian, Rwandan communities;

- Encourage meaningful consultation with affected persons and their representative organizations in processes concerning return, durable solutions, peacebuilding, self-government, decolonization;

- Call for impartial and non-discriminatory monitoring of conditions for return, including physical security, access to public services, protection of property rights, cultural and religious rights, and safeguards against renewed forced removal;

- Encourage enhanced cooperation among relevant UN Special Procedures, treaty bodies and other international mechanisms in addressing situations concerning the right of return, self-determination, decolonization, property rights, cultural identity, discrimination and transnational repression affecting the communities and territories concerned;

- Invite the relevant United Nations mechanisms to give due attention to these issues in future thematic work, reports, consultations and engagement with States and civil society, including with representatives of Western Azerbaijan, Bonaire, Aruba and Sint Maarten, as well as Sikh, Congolese, Burundian and Rwandan communities, and to promote greater cooperation across the United Nations system on the right of return, decolonization, self-determination and durable solutions.