COP29, the international climate summit held in Baku in November 2024, was marked by the conspicuous absence of the French President and members of the French government. This decision, supported by Emmanuel Macron, should have provoked a great deal of criticism in La Réunion Island. But this was not the case. It should be noted that not a single Réunionese politician or NGO announced that they would be attending COP29. This is a reminder of our country’s intellectual dependence on Paris after nearly 80 years of neo-colonial rule. Our neighbours have been very active in defending positions that concern La Réunion, in particular solidarity with island countries vulnerable to the climate crisis. It was our neighbours and, more broadly, the Alliance of Island States that defended the interests of the Réunionese, not the French leaders who boycotted COP29.
Like all the UN’s annual climate conferences, COP29 was a crucial event for the future of the world’s climate, and was largely ignored. Yet this summit saw some important decisions to combat climate change, such as the launch of the G-Zero alliance with Madagascar at the heart of the action and the implementation of the Loss and Damage Fund. But why did France choose to boycott the conference?

A boycott in support of French neo-colonialism

The French government justified its absence on the grounds of diplomatic tensions with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan supports organisations and movements denouncing France’s colonial past and present in several countries, including Corsica, Kanaky (New Caledonia), Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guiana. The President of Azerbaijan has denounced Paris’s colonial repression in Kanaky New Caledonia. Paris refuses to acknowledge this reality. The French leader therefore preferred to avoid the debate that could have been held if he had come to take part in the UN Climate Conference.
The creation of the Baku Initiative Group is a collective promoting decolonisation and the rights of peoples. The group has its secretariat in Baku. It includes representatives of independence movements from various countries under French influence. Its objectives are clear: to denounce neo-colonialism, support demands for autonomy and promote more equitable governance that respects the rights of indigenous peoples.

The impact on La Réunion Island: a COP under the radar

On La Réunion Island, where the consequences of global warming are already visible in the form of drought, the absence of leaders from the French Republic at this global meeting has had consequences. Media coverage was virtually non-existent, reflecting a desire to play down the importance of a conference that is nonetheless crucial for vulnerable island countries such as La Réunion.
This stance should be seen as a betrayal by certain local and environmental players: Paris would rather defend French neo-colonialism than represent the interests of former colonies at the UN Climate Conference. The lack of reaction from environmental NGOs and political players is worrying: when will La Reunion Island wake up?
Beyond these political tensions, the French boycott illustrates a wider problem: the difficulty for some countries of reconciling global climate issues with geopolitical interests. By refusing to take part in COP29 at a high level, Paris has not only lost the opportunity to defend the French Republic’s climate priorities, it has also turned its back on an essential discussion on the fate of the most vulnerable populations, particularly those living in former colonies such as La Réunion.
For countries like La Réunion, which are on the front line of the impact of climate change, France’s silence in Baku will remain a worrying and revealing episode.

M.M.