On behalf of the people of Bonaire, I extend our sincere congratulations to Prime Minister Mia Mottley on her historic victory in the January 11 elections, securing her third term as Prime Minister of Barbados.
At the 2025 CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in Bridgetown, Barbados, we were honored to receive an invitation to present and discuss the Self-Governance Evaluation Report of Bonaire, prepared by an advisor of the Bonaire Human Rights Organization (BHRO) and a United Nations decolonization expert.
At this meeting, we had the privilege of meeting Her Excellency Mia Amor Mottley again after several years of encounters at international forums around the world. We also had the opportunity to meet with other regional leaders to further discuss the conclusions of the report and the situation in Bonaire.
The investigation describes what occurred after October 10, 2010, when Bonaire became integrated into the constitutional structure of the Netherlands without the consent of its people. Particularly critical and alarming is the demographic shift from approximately 80% native Bonaireans before 10-10-10 to about 30% in 2025, reducing the native population to a minority on its own island. The report also analyzes the governance structure in which key legislation is determined in The Hague, subordinating and effectively eliminating local governmental authority.
We were specially invited to Barbados by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, together with his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frederick Stephenson, for a historic bilateral meeting where these findings were discussed in substance, including the importance of placing Bonaire on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
The BHRO delegation also held meetings with all Caribbean Prime Ministers and global leaders, including António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, as well as representatives of the European Union, promoting international awareness regarding Bonaire’s constitutional trajectory and governance concerns.
The Bonaire Human Rights Organization has been an associate member of the CARICOM Reparations Commission since 2023, strengthening its regional advocacy campaign on behalf of Bonaire.
Although James Finies, founder of BHRO, has dedicated more than 1,000 days — with great personal sacrifices of time and resources to promote the rights and well-being of the people of Bonaire, he continues to face exclusion on Bonaire itself. Local politicians and the Dutch government use every opportunity to minimize or boycott the historic and important work Finies is carrying out on the global stage — for the people and future generations of Bonaire.
As the saying goes, “a prophet is not recognized in his own land.” While he may be underestimated and ignored at home, regionally and internationally Finies’ unwavering dedication to elevating the voice of Bonaire continues to resonate among world leaders. His tireless struggle clearly demonstrates that the Case of Bonaire and its people is not merely a local matter but reflects the very principles upon which the United Nations, international law, and human rights mechanisms were founded: to defend, protect, and amplify the voices of those who are too often marginalized and ignored.
