AACC Stands with Pacific Churches in Defence of Self-Determination and the United Nations Decolonisation Mandate

The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) stands in solidarity with the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) and affirms its statement of 19 October 2026 rejecting the United States’ call to end the mandate of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24).

For Africa, the struggle against colonial domination is our collective memory and continuing responsibility. Our peoples know the pain of dispossession, suppressed identity and denied self-government, and the importance of international solidarity in advancing liberation. This experience, our commitment to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8), and our affirmation of Ubuntu (living in shared humanity and mutual responsibility) compel us to stand with peoples whose right to self-determination remains unrealized.

We affirm that the work of decolonization must continue until the peoples concerned have freely and genuinely determined their future. Ending or weakening the C-24’s mandate while this work remains unfinished would undermine an important avenue for international accountability and participation. We also reject every language that trivializes the spaces through which communities bring their concerns before the international community and affirm that the C-24’s engagement should rather be strengthened with meaningful opportunities for affected communities to be heard.

Building on the PCC’s appeal, the AACC calls upon:
1. African governments, through the African Union and their UN diplomatic missions, to stand with Pacific peoples and support the completion of decolonization.
2. Churches and ecumenical partners to accompany the PCC through prayer, public advocacy and sustained engagement, guided by Pacific peoples’ own priorities.
3. The United States and all administering powers to cooperate constructively with the UN decolonization process and support genuine, informed and freely expressed choices concerning political status.
4. UN member states to uphold and adequately resource the C-24’s mandate, including visiting missions and regional seminars enabling affected peoples’ participation.

Rev. Dr. Fidon Mwombeki  
General Secretary.

In the photo: Rev. James Shri Bhagwan, PCC general secretary (right), and Dr Sivendra Michael, Fiji’s permanent secretary for Environment and Climate Change. [Courtesy - Marcelo Schneider/WCC]