James Finies, leader of the Partido Pueblo Progresivo, and Davika Bissessar Shaw, president of the Bonaire Human Rights Organization, visited Washington, D.C. at the invitation of His Excellency Samuel Hinds, Ambassador of Guyana to the United States, to follow up on recent diplomatic developments regarding Bonaire’s path at the United Nations. They are strengthening international advocacy efforts and strategic coordination in support of diplomatic initiatives for Bonaire’s case.
The discussions focused on the progress achieved in the international advocacy campaign to have Bonaire re-inscribed on the United Nations List of Non-Self-Governing Territories and on the next strategic steps within the broader framework of decolonization.
Over the course of 1,020 days of sustained international engagement, Mr. Finies has spoken directly with or maintained dialogue with the Presidents of the Dominican Republic, Chile, Cuba, Panama, Suriname, and Guyana; the Prime Ministers of Belize, Barbados, the Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago; as well as the Premiers of the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, Bermuda, and French Polynesia. He has also maintained additional contact with Ministers of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
At the multilateral level, Mr. Finies met with the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of NATO, and with the leadership of key regional institutions, including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
Historic achievements in this diplomatic trajectory include formal expressions and declarations of solidarity from regional organizations such as the OECS, the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), CARICOM, and the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN). This growing support has elevated Bonaire’s case in Caribbean, Latin American, and global diplomatic forums, reinforcing that Bonaire’s status is not merely an internal administrative matter, but part of the ongoing international decolonization agenda.
His Excellency Ambassador Samuel Hinds former President and Prime Minister of Guyana — is a distinguished statesman whose leadership and decades of public service have left a lasting mark on his nation and on the Caribbean region as a whole.