Bonaire’s relisting case has reached a major breakthrough of international momentum, as recently a group of countries has engaged Member States across all continents and regions to help advance Bonaire’s case at the United Nations.
This week marks 1,100 days of sustained advocacy in the exterior by James Finies and Davika Bissessar Shaw of the Bonaire Human Rights Organization (BHRO) since 2022, working tirelessly within the international community to raise awareness, educate stakeholders, and build support for Bonaire’s case in the United Nations General Assembly. During this period, BHRO achieved several important recognitions, including becoming an Associate Member of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, receiving United Nations accreditation, and being awarded and honored with the “Gustavo Carvajal Moreno, Messenger of Peace” Medal of Merit.
The timing is especially significant, as current developments at both the UN and global levels have created a favorable environment for Bonaire’s case to move forward. BHRO’s advocacy has reached important international milestones and has contributed to wider discussions reflected in major global developments, including the 5th December 2025 adoption of the UN resolution establishing the International Day Against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations, to be observed annually on 14th December.
More recently, James Finies and Davika Bissessar Shaw of BHRO participated as observers in all negotiation meetings with UN Member States in a process led by the African States under the leadership of Ghana, culminating in the historic adoption of a resolution declaring the – Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and the Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime against Humanity.
A major breakthrough came in late 2025, when BHRO traveled to Geneva and intervened during the Seventh Periodic Review of the Kingdom of the Netherlands before the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). During this process, BHRO submitted information and engaged in advocacy regarding Bonaire’s human rights situation. For the first time, issues affecting Bonaire were directly raised through Bonaire civil society present in Geneva in a UN human rights review of the Netherlands, with experts questioning the Dutch delegation on matters concerning Bonaire’s social, cultural, and economic rights.
The review process highlighted serious concerns related to discrimination, inequality, language rights, social protection, and the broader socio-economic conditions affecting native Bonaireans—underscoring the urgent need to protect the rights, dignity, culture, and development of Bonaire’s indigenous and local people.
These results reflect years of sacrifice, hard work, and international advocacy by James Finies and BHRO. Today, BHRO calls on everyone—young and old, from all walks of life—to unite for positive change.