The Assembly of French Polynesia (Maohi) has unanimously adopted a resolution affirming the country's permanent sovereignty over all its natural resources, marking an unprecedented decision that could shape the people's future, the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) said in a statement.
According to Report, the statement noted that the historic document formally safeguards the indigenous people's inalienable rights over their land and maritime territories, as well as the vast 5.5-million-square-kilometre exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The achievement, resulting from years of political struggle by the Tavini Huiraatira movement, marks one of the biggest steps towards the region's economic and political independence.
BIG emphasized that the resolution contains strategic provisions enshrining the rights of the Polynesian people and providing a strong legal basis for the French Polynesian delegation to defend its resources at the UN General Assembly. The document reaffirms the people's right to own, control and manage all natural resources on their land, in their lagoons, airspace, seabed and ocean territories. Full sovereignty is declared over seabed mineral deposits, metals and biological resources within the region's EEZ, while claims by the French state to exploit these resources unilaterally are rejected. The resolution also highlights the serious environmental and public health damage caused by France's nuclear tests in the region between 1966 and 1996 and calls on Paris to provide fair compensation. France, as the administering power, is directly urged to cooperate with international missions in the territory's decolonisation process in accordance with UN resolutions.
The group noted that the initiative to adopt the resolution came from Oscar Manutahi Temaru, leader of the Tavini Huiraatira movement and former president of French Polynesia.
"He submitted the relevant draft resolution to the Assembly of French Polynesia on December 3, 2025. On December 5, the draft was discussed by the Assembly's Committee on Institutional Affairs, International Relations and Relations with Municipalities, where it received majority support. Tevaipaea Hoiore and Allen Salmon served as rapporteurs.
"Tavini Huiraatira thanked all lawmakers who supported the resolution, highly appreciated the consensus reached among political forces and stressed that the ocean and its resources are the historical heritage and future of the Maohi people. The right to make decisions concerning these resources must belong exclusively to the people themselves," the statement said.
BIG recalled that it consistently supports international efforts to defend the Maohi people's right to self-determination and sovereignty over their natural resources. In cooperation with the Tavini Huiraatira movement, BIG has contributed to bringing these issues to international platforms, including the United Nations.