2016 STATE OF THE BLACK WORLD CONFERENCE CALLS FOR GLOBAL COLLABORATION ON STRUGGLE FOR REPARATIONS

State of the Black World Conference IV

DECLARATION OF INTENT AND CALL TO ACTION

Intensifying the U.S. and Global Reparations Movement

Work to intensify the U.S. and global struggle for reparations within the context of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action and the U.N. Decade for People of African Descent.  To that end, IBW will:

• Strive to strengthen the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC) as a co-partner with the CARICOM Reparations Commission in expanding the global Reparations Movement.
• With the consent of Congressional John Conyers, finalize the revision of HR-40 from a “Study Bill” to a “Remedy Bill” to be introduced in the next Congress of the United States as a tool for mass public education, mobilizing/organizing and action to advance the struggle for reparations.
• Encourage the creation of Reparations Studies Curricula at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in collaboration with the University of West Indies Mona Campus in Jamaica.
• Support the convening of Reparations Summits in Africa and Columbia in 2017.

.....

Addressing Key Issues in Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America

Based on the deliberations and documents developed by the Pan African Unity Dialogue convened by IBW in New York, work to mobilize mass based, popular support for:

• African-centered Principles of Democratic Governance in Africa and the Caribbean.
• Guidelines for Addressing and Resolving Crises in Africa and the Caribbean.
• Principles and Guidelines for Foreign Investment in Africa to counter the “new scramble for Africa.”

In addition, continue efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Diaspora to impact U.S. policy toward Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America; strengthen bonds of solidarity and action with Afro-Descendant communities in Central and South America; and intensify efforts to develop mutually beneficial business and commercial relations between Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America and the Diaspora in the U.S.

UK continues to justify illegal removal of Chagossians from their homeland

Update on the British Indian Ocean Territory:Written statement - HCWS260

WS

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Made on: 16 November 2016

Made by: Sir Alan Duncan (The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs )

HCWS260

Update on the British Indian Ocean Territory

My right Honourable Friend, the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns), has made the following written Ministerial statement:

On 24 March 2016 the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) informed the House that the Government would be carrying out further work on its review of resettlement policy in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). I would now like to inform Parliament of two decisions which have been made concerning the future of BIOT.

Parliament will be aware of the Government’s review and consultation over the resettlement of the Chagossian people to BIOT. The manner in which the Chagossian community was removed from the Territory in the 1960s and 1970s, and the way they were treated, was wrong and we look back with deep regret. We have taken care in coming to our final decision on resettlement, noting the community’s emotional ties to BIOT and their desire to go back to their former way of life.

This comprehensive programme of work included an independent feasibility study followed by a full public consultation in the UK, Mauritius and the Seychelles.

I am today announcing that the Government has decided against resettlement of the Chagossian people to the British Indian Ocean Territory on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests, and cost to the British taxpayer. In coming to this decision the Government has considered carefully the practicalities of setting up a small remote community on low-lying islands and the challenges that any community would face. These are significant, and include the challenge of effectively establishing modern public services, the limited healthcare and education that it would be possible to provide, and the lack of economic opportunities, particularly job prospects. The Government has also considered the interaction of any potential community with the US Naval Support Facility – a vital part of our defence relationship.

The Government will instead seek to support improvements to the livelihoods of Chagossians in the communities where they now live. I can today announce that we have agreed to fund a package of approximately £40 million over the next ten years to achieve this goal. This money addresses the most pressing needs of the community by improving access to health and social care and to improved education and employment opportunities. Moreover, this fund will support a significantly expanded programme of visits to BIOT for native Chagossians. The Government will work closely with Chagossian communities in the UK and overseas to develop cost-effective programmes which will make the biggest improvement in the life chances of those Chagossians who need it most.

Parliament will also be aware that the agreements underpinning the UK/US defence facility will roll over automatically on 31 December if neither side breaks silence. In an increasingly dangerous world, the defence facility is used by us and our allies to combat some of the most difficult problems of the 21st century including terrorism, international criminality, instability and piracy. I can today confirm that the UK continues to welcome the US presence, and that the agreements will continue as they stand until 30 December 2036.

_______________________________

What now for Chagossians?

December 7, 2016

|Tom Guha & Stefan Donnelly

It will come as no surprise  that the UK Chagos Support Association are deeply saddened by the Government’s recent decision against pilot resettlement of the Chagos Islands. The decision came as a shock to us and has paralysed many in the community.

As a group dedicated to supporting the people of the Chagos Islands, we do not speak on their behalf. However we are in regular contact with many in the Chagossian community and those conversations have formed the basis of our position.    

The UK Chagos Support Association do not accept the Government’s decision. We believe it was based on flawed evidence and we will support the Chagossian community however they choose to respond.  

However, we welcome the Government’s new commitment to “improving the lives of the Chagossians in the places where they are now” and we hope we can work constructively with both Government and the Chagossian community to come to a settlement that works for both parties.

With regards the Written Ministerial Statement that announced the decision, while we are pleased that the Government acknowledged that historic treatment of Chagossians was wrong, we believe it should be acknowledged as illegal. The basis of Chagossian exile was a falsehood and should be recognised as such.

It is also misleading to suggest Chagossians wanted to “go back to their former way of life.” The Foreign Office consultation demonstrated Chagossians understood that life on the returned islands would be different from the life they used to lead. There was great enthusiasm for modern industries like eco-tourism, environmental protection and administrative roles within BIOT and the US base.

The enthusiasm found in the consultation was matched by requisite skill found in the KPMG study, which states, “the wide range of employment skills present in the Chagossian community has allowed the team to identify major livelihood options for a resettled community”. This seriously brings into question the Government’s concerns around “job prospects”.

Chagossians are not naive. They are aware of the challenges that return presents. But all these challenges were accounted for in the KPMG study - on which after completion, Ministers accepted return was “practically feasible”

The KPMG study also addressed security and defence concerns - concerns that have never been properly outlined. Almost all US military bases have an attached civilian population and the base on Diego Garcia has a large population of temporary labourers. The statement says that Ministers had “considered the interaction of any potential community with the US Naval Support Facility”, which prompts the question; what are the outcomes of these considerations?

The idea that “costs to the British taxpayer” are a barrier is difficult to accept and frankly insulting. Firstly, many Chagossians are the British taxpayers mentioned. Moreover, the £60m resettlement start-up costs over three years are a tiny proportion of the international aid budget, over which citizens of British Overseas Territories have first call. We would also expect contributions from the US, the EU, the private sector and NGOs.

Recently the Government spent £285m on an airport on St Helena. It is not even fit for purpose. Every year defence of the Falklands costs UK taxpayers upwards of £60m. Why is the Government so opposed to funding a resettlement programme on the Chagos Islands?

We absolutely welcome the Government’s new commitment to make “improvements to the livelihoods of Chagossians in the communities where they now live” and are willing to work with the Government to make this happen. However, we are sceptical of the £40m funding package.

The fund’s stated aim is to “[address] the most pressing needs of the community by improving access to health and social care and to improved education and employment opportunities”. This raises a number of questions: how was the fund calculated? What will it be spent on? How will it reach the community? Who will be eligible to receive it?

We know that the fund will “support a significantly expanded programme of visits to BIOT for native Chagossians”. Visits to BIOT (the Government name for the Chagos Islands) used to take place almost annually - what does a “significantly expanded programme” mean? It is also vital that the criteria of ‘native’ is clarified. If it only means those who were born on the islands then anyone under the age of 40 will be excluded, robbing younger Chagossians of their identity and links to their birthplace.

There are extremely serious problems affecting the Chagossian community that urgently need to be addressed and could be with minimal funding.

Families are routinely torn apart because the Home Office does not recognise Chagossian identity. Many Chagossians have been deported or are in Immigration Removal Centres. Simply trying to keep a family together is an inconceivable challenge to many - costing time and money and removing any chances of social or economic mobility.

If the Government is to do just one thing to improve the lives of Chagossians where they are now, it must be to fix the immigration laws that are literally ripping their community apart. One Chagossian put it very poignantly; “these laws are causing a second exile”.

We do not accept the decision and we will support Chagossians in any campaign they mount against it. However it is also important that we hold the Government to account on their commitment to improving the lives of Chagossians.

It is embarrassing that the Government threw away such a perfect opportunity to right a historical wrong. To address these laws would at least offer them some redemption - but crucially it would offer some hope to a community that has been on history’s losing side for far too long.  

Dutch violation of democracy in Bonaire raises serious concerns amid ongoing settler colonialism in defiance of international law

"Member States shall adopt the necessary measures to discourage or prevent the systematic influx of outside immigrants and settlers into Territories under colonial domination which disrupts the demographic composition of those Territories and may constitute a major obstacle to the genuine exercise of the right to self-determination..."  - United Nations General Assembly Resolution 35/118 of  11 December 1980

_______________________________
Open letter

 from James Finies 
Nos Kier Boneiru Bek

  

Kingdom Day and commemoration of one year 
of Dutch anti-democracy governance

To: Second Chamber of the Netherlands

 First Chamber of the Netherlands, 

Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 

Public Entity of Bonaire 

Kralendijk, December 15, 2016

Subject: Kingdom Day and commemoration of one year of Dutch Anti-Democracy governance

Dear Colleagues,

Today, December 15, 2016, we are celebrating Kingdoms day, or previously Statute-day, commemorating December 15, 1955 where the Dutch Government with the consent of the elite of the colonized Caribbean territories, not the people, officially manipulated the world community in the United Nations with a very disputed vote (U.N. General Assembly Resolution 945 X), and the majority of the world community distrusted this statute-arrangement to dissolve you from your reporting obligations towards the so-called autonomous country Netherlands Antilles. Since then this new country Netherlands Antilles political deficiency has been hided from the world as this well planned and executed imposed governmental structure intended road to self-destruction has became reality on October 10, 2010 with the dissolution and dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles.

As we are reaching December 18, 2016, a year after the Bonerian peoples (and Statian peoples in December 2014 referendum) has by a referendum officially and democratically rejected the imposed constitutional status and ratified these results by their democratic elected leadership in the Island Councils and made these indisputable legally binding democratic decisions.

By not respecting the democratic decision and voice of the peoples of the Dutch administered Caribbean islands of Bonaire and Sint Eustatius and moving forward to annex and anchor these territories in the Dutch constitution on a on-equal base the Dutch State and Kingdom has degraded itself to a anti-democratic state and nation. 

Your government should reach out to start a corrective justified process according to the democratic vote and decision of our innocent peoples, whose are desperate to maintain their own culture and identity as we are experiencing a inevitable gloomy future of being assimilated and exterminated by substitution by your open immigration influx of European Dutch flocking our island. We expected from your government respect to democracy but are now under a seemingly military intimidation regime with clear bullying practices to suppress our only other democratic pillar and defense our fundamental right of expression and manifestation.

We may understand that you may feel uneasy that our people will stand up one day and say enough is enough, maybe it is this 18th December or maybe not, or maybe another time, but you may be sure that history will not dissolve you of your crime against democracy and our fundamental rights, because we all are born equal in rights and dignity and maybe one day your conscience will turn you back towards humanity, towards your brothers in the Kingdom which you agreed and signed in the United Nations to be as equal and free as yourselves. 

Also Read:

DUTCH ADMINISTERED CARIBBEAN COLONIES SHOULD BE ADDED TO UNITED NATIONS COLONIAL LIST - CARIBBEAN CONFERENCE

COPPPAL rechaza posible intento de recolonizar las denominadas islas holandesas

NETHERLANDS KINGDOM VIOLATING HUMAN RIGHTS OF BONAIRE, SINT EUSTATIUS BY UNILATERAL ANNNEXATION - BONAIRE ACTIVIST

Netherlands moves forward to annex Caribbean dependencies, defies referenda in Bonaire and Sint Eustatius rejecting colonialism

Spain’s Constitutional Court Suspends Referendum on Catalan Independence

MADRID – The highest court in Spain has decided to provisionally suspend a resolution by the Catalan parliament calling for a 2017 referendum on the northeastern region’s independence from Spain, the court said Wednesday.

Spain’s plenary Constitutional Court – tasked with determining the constitutionality of acts and statutes – voted to admit a motion by the State’s counsel arguing that the resolution passed by the regional parliament of Catalonia was unconstitutional.

The court also warned the Catalan regional government it could incur penal responsibilities if it ignored the court’s mandate.

The Spanish government accused the Catalan parliament of disobeying previous Constitutional Court decisions when the regional legislative passed a resolution on Oct. 6 titled “The Political Future of Catalonia,” with references a “referendum” and a “constituent process.”

The resolution passed the chamber with favorable votes from independence coalition party Together for Yes (JxSí, primarily made up by the center-right Democratic Convergence of Catalonia and progressive Republican Left of Catalonia) and the far-left Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), as well as the abstention of Catalonia Yes We Can, a left-wing coalition that supports the right of self-determination but does not explicitly back Catalonia’s secession from Spain.

The document called for a binding referendum to be held no later than Sept. 2017, and for “constituent elections” to be held six months after a hypothetical win for the “yes” to independence option.

The President of Catalonia’s parliament, Carme Forcadell, is set to appear before the Catalan High Court of Justice on Dec. 16 under charges of disobeying previous decisions by the Constitutional Court that blocked any attempts at creating a legislative roadmap for Catalan independence from Spain.

Catalan nationalism has long been an important political force that started as an effort by 19th-century intellectuals to restore self-government and obtain recognition for the Catalan language.

Following four decades of brutal repression by the regime of Gen. Francisco Franco, Catalan nationalism re-emerged from clandestinity in the late 1970s and has since become a growing political movement with vast support among the population of the region, which has the highest GDP in Spain and is the country’s most industrialized and prosperous territory.

ANGUILLA'S FIRST CHIEF MINISTER JOINS THE ANCESTORS

Anguilla in mourning following death of Father of the Nation Ronald Webster

DAILY HERALD

ANGUILLA--The country is in mourning following the death of the “Father of the Nation” James Ronald Webster. On Friday, December 9, flags were flown at half-mast following his death earlier in the day, and all Government offices were closed from 1:00pm.

Chief Minister Victor Banks spoke in an address on Radio Anguilla, saying the nation is in a state of sadness. He said it is especially sad that Webster has died on the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution, and he is sorry he will not hear the many accolades he will be given on that occasion.

Banks said his thoughts are especially with Webster’s wife Cleopatra Webster, and his prayers are with her and the entire family during this very difficult time. He said Webster has affected all Anguillians through his service and generosity, and thanked him for the humility of his leadership.

Governor Christina Scott said it was a privilege for her to meet Webster. She reported that he told her that countries do not develop people, but that people develop countries. She noted that even in recent years it was clear he had not lost his passion to see a better Anguilla. “Today everyone in Anguilla unites to remember the “Father of the Nation”, James Ronald Webster, who has sadly passed away.

Webster, Anguilla’s first Chief Minister, played a pivotal role in the revolution, stepping up with courage to lead his people to a brighter, better future. He demonstrated how, through force of character, nations can be formed and grow through peaceful, purposeful actions. By coming together, and looking to the future with common intent and for the good of all, fairness and opportunity can prevail. My thoughts and prayers are with Mrs. Webster, his family and friends, and all those who mourn his passing today,” the Governor said.

Minister of Social Development Evans McNiel Rogers, who is currently Acting Chief Minister as Banks is overseas, spoke on behalf of the Government and people giving condolences to Webster’s wife and family. He noted that Webster was born on March 2 1926 under harsh conditions, which led him to go to St. Maarten at the young age of ten. “Webster was firstly a good shepherd, who was willing to give his life for his sheep.

Secondly, he was a visionary, a man with a mission; a burning desire to see Anguilla go forward. Thirdly, he was a man of steel. All these qualities contributed significantly to his emergence as Leader of the Anguilla Revolution of 1967,” said Rogers. Rogers said this is the time to reflect on all that Webster has done for Anguilla. Webster will be given a state funeral at a date to be announced and that day will be a public holiday.

Leader of the Opposition Palmavon Webster also gave a radio address, expressing her “great sadness at the death of the beloved Father of the Nation.” She noted that when Anguilla faced its darkest hours and was in despair for the future, Webster came to the fore to lead the nation. She suggested that the people of Anguilla should give thanks for knowing him and loving him and the fact that he loved Anguilla. “With our grief, let there be gratitude for the keen interest he took in Anguilla’s destiny,” she said. She expressed condolences to his wife and family saying what he did for our people will never die.

Former Chief Minister Osbourne B. Fleming has been in contact with the Ministry of Home Affairs with a view to conveying condolences on the passing of the Father of the Nation James Ronald Webster to his wife Cleo, children and extended family, as well as to the people of Anguilla. Fleming has indicated that his thoughts and prayers are with the family and all Anguillians mourning the death of this outstanding Anguillian at this time.

Ronald Webster was Anguilla’s first Chief Minister and a genuine revolutionary leader. He was one of the early recipients of the Anguilla Badge of Honour and Queen’s Certificate for his outstanding contribution to the Anguilla Revolution. Flags will also be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect on Monday, December 12, and on the day preceding the funeral and the day of the funeral.

U.N. COMMITTEE COMMEMORATES DECOLONISATION DECLARATION

PRESS RELEASE
GA/COL/3301
15 DECEMBER 2016
GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Marking Fifty-Sixth Anniversary of Decolonization Declaration, Special Committee Calls on Member States to Help End Colonial Rule

The following statement was issued today on behalf of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples on the fifty-sixth anniversary of the Declaration:

Fourteen December two thousand sixteen marked the fifty-sixth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, which was adopted as General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960.

Since the adoption of the resolution by the General Assembly in 1960, the decolonization agenda has made significant headways throughout the world.  More than 50 of the current Member States of the United Nations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific achieved independence with the effort of their people — by fighting, protesting, and negotiating — and with the support of the Organization.

GEOCURRENTS

This anniversary serves also as a reminder that the task of decolonization is still unfinished.  As the eradication of colonialism continues to be one of the priorities of the United Nations, further concerted and unwavering action is required, including continuing dialogue among the Special Committee on Decolonization, the administering Powers and the Non-Self-Governing Territories remaining on the list of the United Nations.  The peoples of these Territories are looking forward to the actions of the United Nations, on a case-by-case basis, to put an end to their colonial situation.

FACTMONSTER.COM

As part of its unfailing commitment to the cause of decolonization, this year, the Special Committee has revived the celebration of the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories by organizing a series of activities to bring global attention to the Territories.

Furthermore, the Special Committee welcomes the expression of interest recently made by some Member States to join this subsidiary organ; these requests show their commitment to the cause of the decolonization and contributing to strengthen the work of the Special Committee.

The Special Committee invites all concerned to observe this anniversary with a common sense of purpose.  The Special Committee further reaffirms its determination to continue to take all steps necessary to ensure the effective and full implementation of the Declaration.  The United Nations helped liberate the peoples under colonial rule in the past.  The Special Committee, therefore, calls upon Member States to value the principles and actions of the United Nations to be on the right side of history by reaffirming its support for the Declaration and the eradication of the scourge of colonialism.

Sint Eustatius, Bonaire civil society reject Netherlands unilateral intervention despite rejection of Dutch rule by the people

Second Chamber’s plans for ‘Special Observer’ in Statia rejected 

Civil society organizations Brighter Path Foundation and Nos Ke Boneiru Bek have strongly condemned the move from The Hague to appoint a “Special Observer” in St. Eustatius, as was recently reported in various Dutch Caribbean news media. The group said in a joint statement: 

“Bearing in mind that the Public Entity status was formally rejected by the people of Statia in the December 2014 referendum, whereby an overwhelming majority voted for more autonomy, and which was later ratified by the Island Council of St. Eustatius, any move on the part of the Dutch Government to impose administrative rule on the island territory, is in direct violation of the people’s human rights."  Disregarding the democratically- elected island representatives can be considered an undemocratic act on the part of The Hague.” 

The organizations see the increasing sanctions being imposed on the local government and the people of Statia as confirmation that the Public Entity status is profoundly deficient, as it does not meet the UN criteria for full internal self- government, which according to UN resolution 1541 (XV), can only be achieved in one of three ways namely:

 (a) Being in free association with an independent state as a result of a free and voluntary choice by the people of the Territory expressed through an informed and democratic process;

 (b) Fully integrated into an independent state on the basis of complete equality between the peoples of the Non- Self-Governing Territory and those of the independent date, 

(c) Independence. 

The unilateral exercise of power and control by The Hague strengthens the resolve of the organizations to assist the democratically- elected government to put all measures in place to obtain the status that the people desire, the organizations said. 

Puerto Rico Governor Says Debt Must Be Restructured, Rejects Austerity

SAN JUAN – Puerto Rico’s outgoing governor said on Tuesday that the island’s massive debt load needed to be restructured and that the financial control board established by Washington to oversee that process should not impose economically damaging austerity measures.

Alejandro Garcia Padilla, who will step down on Jan. 2, said at a forum in Washington on the US commonwealth’s present situation and future outlook that the control board threatened the right to self-government enshrined in the island’s constitution.

“Our future depends on the outcome of a bankruptcy process that has not yet been approved by a Federal Control Board,” the governor of the PPD party said, adding that that body had changed the legally accepted distribution of powers.

Garcia Padilla, as he has on numerous occasions, said that the commonwealth’s roughly $70 billion debt load is unpayable.

The governor stressed that a debt moratorium under the so-called Promesa rescue law, which the US Congress approved last summer to provide a solution to the island’s debt crisis, was set to expire on Feb. 15.

From that date forward, he said, the government could be exposed to creditor lawsuits that may eventually lead to a shutdown of government operations due to a lack of liquidity.

“There’s no excuse for forcing Puerto Rico into an economic depression,” Garcia Padilla said, recalling that two months ago he submitted a fiscal plan to the financial control board that was rejected.

He said the path of seeking high-interest loans and implementing new austerity measures was unsustainable and would damage the economy, reduce tax revenues and infringe on the island’s ability to repay its debt.

“If the new administration decides to opt for austerity Puerto Rico will soon enter a downward spiral,” he said, referring to the incoming PNP government of Ricardo Rossello, who will take office in January.

Rossello sees statehood as crucial to resolving the recession-racked island’s economic woes.

Statehood is the traditional PNP position, while the PPD wants to maintain Puerto Rico’s current political status as a US commonwealth.

Clear abandoned US military waste, Greenland urges Denmark

RT - Question More

Greenland has urged Denmark to clean up the abandoned US military installations on the Arctic island, including Camp Century under-ice nuclear missile project, saying that they pose a threat to the environment.

Thirty-three American military bases and radar stations were built on the world’s largest island under a 1951 deal between NATO allies Denmark and the US.

Greenland had no say in the decision due to being a Danish province at the time, only gaining greater autonomy from Copenhagen in 2009.

The US-Danish agreement does not specify the side responsible for the cleanup, but Greenland’s authorities say they have had enough of rusting American military constructions.

“Unless Denmark has entered other agreements with the United States about Camp Century, the responsibility for investigation and cleanup lies with Denmark alone,” Vittus Qujaukitsoq, Greenland's foreign minister, said.

Earlier this week, AP obtained a letter which Qujaukitsoq sent to his Danish counterpart, Kristian Jensen, asking about Copenhagen’s plans for the US facility that, according to an international study, contains “radioactivity, oil and PCB pollution.”

He also warned that Greenland would address “relevant international organizations” to help with the cleanup if Denmark refuses to act.

Camp Century was built in 1959-60 in the northwestern part of Greenland. Washington said that the site was designed to test sub-ice construction techniques, but it was actually planned to be used as a top secret launch facility for ballistic missiles that could reach the USSR.

The ambitious project was, however, scrapped in 1966 after the ice cap started crushing the construction.

When the Americans left, they only took the nuclear reactor that powered Camp Century with them.

According to a study published in Geophysical Research Letters in August, an estimated 200,000 liters of diesel oil and sewage have been left on the site.

The scientists warned that ice cap melting may result in major pollution caused by Camp Century waste coming to the surface.

“When we looked at the climate simulations, they suggested that rather than perpetual snowfall, it seems that as early as 2090, the site could transition from net snowfall to net melt,” the paper’s co-author William Colgan, a climate scientist at York University in Toronto, said.

“Once the site transitions from net snowfall to net melt, it’s only a matter of time before the wastes melt out; it becomes irreversible,” Colgan told the American Geographical Union.

READ MORE: Danger: Radioactive Cold War stash & Greenland's melting ice-sheet

According to AP, Greenland’s authorities have already begun cleaning up US military facilities, but the island, with a population of just over 56,000, lacks the resources to complete the large-scale project.

PUERTO RICO: ¿Qué vamos a hacer ante la Junta?

_________________________________________

¿Qué vamos a hacer ante la Junta?

Por Rubén Berríos Martínez

Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño

"La colonia es la causa, la Junta es la consecuencia"

Ante la atropellante y humillante imposición de la Junta de Control Fiscal hay que indignarse y protestar. Pero, nadie se llame a engaño. La colonia es la causa, la Junta es la consecuencia. Protestar contra la Junta y apoyar la colonia es una contradicción insalvable.

Por eso, además de protestar en todos los frentes, en el electoral hay que prepararse y trabajar para fortalecer la Independencia. En las urnas esa es la única respuesta digna a la Junta y a la colonia. Con el voto hay que combatir la Junta y la colonia y hay que adelantar la descolonización y la independencia.

Aun ante la mezquindad de los que se niegan a reconocer los logros del independentismo, por décadas y ante circunstancias muy adversas, honrando a los que dieron vida y hacienda por nuestra libertad, hemos advertido lo que está ocurriendo y -afiliados o no a las organizaciones patrióticas- jamás nos rendimos y hemos cumplido con nuestro trabajo y dedicación para combatir la colonia que es la que hace posible la Junta.

Pero falta mucho por hacer y, como advirtió Martí, “hay que hacer en cada momento, lo que en cada momento es necesario”.

Nuestra candidata a la gobernación, nuestros candidatos nacionales, de distrito y municipales, nuestros más de mil candidatos, están y estarán todos los días en la calle llevando el mensaje casa por casa.

El independentista tiene que trabajar en lo cotidiano, en lo sencillo pero fundamental, en lo que no recibe aplausos. Hay que cooperar económicamente para hacer una efectiva campaña en los medios. Hay que servir como funcionario de colegio. Hay que hablar con amigos y familiares para juntos apoyar la Independencia en las urnas.

Además, hay que convencer al popular y al no afiliado que rechaza la anexión y sabe que el ELA no tiene futuro; al popular que ha sido abandonado por un liderato que ha incumplido su promesa de Asamblea de Estatus y ha hecho suya la propuesta asimilista de Pierluisi de un Referéndum Estadidad Sí o No. La suprema definición comenzó y esos compatriotas no quieren ser yanquis, quieren ser puertorriqueños.

¿O es que acaso el que se siente puertorriqueño antes que nada va a apoyar a un candidato estadista que quiere unirse al que le azota y persigue una fantasía alucinante contraria a los intereses de los Estados Unidos; o a uno como el del PPD que por un lado pregona la puertorriqueñidad y por el otro, contagiado por el asimilismo, no sólo apadrina la Estadidad proponiendo un Referéndum Estadidad Sí o No, sino que de ser electo Gobernador y ganar la Estadidad, se compromete a acatar y hacer valer la alternativa anexionista? Es el lenguaje del oportunismo manipulado al servicio del poder; en su caso en específico, pletórico de generalidades, obviedades y ambigüedades.

Para el máximo liderato popular, como siempre, el estatus no está en “issue”, cuando ahora, ante el derrumbe de la colonia, lo está más que nunca. Particularmente cuando, gracias al trabajo consecuente de todo el independentismo, el Comité de Descolonización de la ONU, en una determinación sin precedentes, acoge la propuesta de nuestra candidata a la gobernación para servir de interlocutor y viabilizar un diálogo entre Estados Unidos y los que propulsamos la aplicación de la Res 1514 (XV) a través de una transición ordenada de mutuo beneficio.

Para protestar contra la colonia y la Junta, para combatir la Estadidad, para promover la Asamblea de Estatus y adelantar nuestra soberanía nacional en las elecciones hay solamente un voto útil.

Las mayorías y minorías son cuestión de tiempo y circunstancias y estos son otros tiempos y otras circunstancias.

Este es el momento. Emulando a Pablo, que luego de toparse con un templo “Al Dios Desconocido”, dijo a los atenienses: “lo que adoráis sin conocer, eso vengo yo a anunciar” tenemos que ir a nuestra gente, allí donde está, a anunciar la buena nueva de la libertad patria.

Elegirán a representantes raizales para mesa de concertación

Inicia concertación entre Raizales y Gobierno Nacional

El Isleño

Este viernes 9 de diciembre se dieron cita en el auditorio de la Gobernación, el viceministro del Interior Luis Ernesto Gómez; el gobernador Ronald Housni Jaller; miembros del grupo ‘Raizal Union’ que adelantaron la manifestación del 19/11 que propició este encuentro, y otros miembros de la población raizal.

Tras una prolongada deliberación con abundantes intervenciones de los diversos líderes allí presentes, se acordó elegir en asamblea el próximo sábado 17 de diciembre a los representantes para la mesa de concertación con este Ministerio.  

La anunciada reunión se programó luego de que el grupo de manifestantes del 19/11 levantara el bloqueo que mantuvo cerrado un céntrico sector de San Andrés durante cuatro días y donde exigían presencia del alto gobierno para ello; esto con el fin de poner en conocimiento de la Presidencia de la República un pliego de peticiones, entre las que se cuentan, la declaratoria del Estatuto Raizal y la solución a la problemática de la sobrepoblación.

El fin de la reunión era el de fijar una mesa de concertación entre miembros de esta población y el Gobierno Nacional para tratar las problemáticas planteadas, sin embargo varios de los presentes manifestaron dudas sobre quiénes serían los representantes raizales en estos encuentros con el alto gobierno.

Luego de varios planteamientos y posturas, se acordó que éstos se definirían en una asamblea autónoma que se realizará el próximo sábado 17 de diciembre a las 2:00 pm en centro cultural Tamarind Tree en La Loma, a donde se cita a los líderes de esta población que contará con el respaldo organizacional de la Defensoría del Pueblo y el apoyo de la Procuraduría Departamental como garante.

Por otra parte, a pesar de no concretarse la mesa de concertación con el Gobierno Nacional, el viceministro Gómez manifestó abiertamente su intención y apoyo para que se lleve a cabo y propuso que la misma se instale en la última semana de enero de 2017, una vez definidos los representantes de la población raizal que harán parte de dicha Mesa.

Así mismo, el funcionario especificó que según la competencia de su Ministerio, los temas a tratarse en dicha mesa girarán en torno a lo relacionado con derechos, constitución y representación política raizal.

'Decolonisation Fundamental to Pacific Sovereignty' - Pacific NGOs

Press Release Decolonisation Fundamental to Pacific Sovereignty, CSOs Tell GPEDC Suva (3 December 2016) - The decolonisation of indigenous peoples in Tahiti, New Caledonia, West Papua, and the American territories is intrinsically tied to the sovereignty of the Pacific region. These and the need to expand the definition of fragility to inculcate climate induced vulnerability as a Pacific specific concern are key issues that Pacific delegates have highlighted at the High Level Ministerial meeting for Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation in Nairobi, Kenya Pacific Islands Association of NGOs executive director, Emele Duituturaga said these issues was highlighted in the Pacific Regional Caucus statement that was incorporated in the HLM GPEDC CSO Communique. “Pacific regional civil society delegates reaffirm the importance of recognising and respecting the sovereignty of the Pacific region in terms of self-determination and decolonisation of pacific peoples in French Polynesia, New Caledonia, West Papua, and the American territories,” the communique stated. “This is linked to the continued displacement of indigenous people as a result of militarisation and trade agreements for development, exploiting our natural resources and people, leaving fragile and vulnerable to climate change, lifestyle diseases, conflict, and other related social ailment characteristic of marginalised people.” Duituturaga said on the Pacific stance to expand the definition of Fragility, Pacific delegates called for the inclusion of climate induced vulnerability in recognition of the Pacific’s position at the frontline of climate change. Pacific delegates at the meeting include civil society representatives from Guam, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, PNG and Palau. Meanwhile, Pacific Youth Council’s Manasa Vatanitawake participated as a panellist at the plenary session, on the topic, “Leaving No One Behind on Climate, Culture and Identity” as key issues for Pacific Youth, prior to the end of the meeting.