Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson is set to address the United Nations on Tuesday, seeking support for his pro-independence stance. Despite facing pressure from more radical members

within his party, Brotherson enjoys substantial popular support. He is perceived as the most moderate figure within the pro-independence party.

Before departing for New York to address the UN's Fourth Committee on October 3, President Moetai Brotherson expressed satisfaction with French President Emmanuel Macron's recent promise. Macron pledged an end to France's practice of the "empty chair" policy, wherein the French representative would leave the room whenever the decolonization of French Polynesia was discussed at the UN. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed France's participation in the UN's Fourth Committee for the first time in a decade, emphasizing a "constructive spirit."

On Tuesday, forty-four advocates will present various important positions on behalf of the pro-independence party in French Polynesia, known as the Tavini. These positions encompass the anti-nuclear struggle, decolonization, and the right to self-determination. Additionally, they will introduce the concept of Ma'ohi citizenship, which President Brotherson officially endorsed in the government's official gazette on September 26. If approved, this proposal would grant recognized citizens of French Polynesia priority access to employment and land. However, the primary goal of the Tavini party remains moving closer to sovereignty for the French Pacific territory, while French officials closely monitor the situation.

In 2013, the pro-independence movement succeeded in having French Polynesia re-listed as a non-self-governing territory to be decolonized by the UN. Since then, little progress has been made, as the pro-France autonomy party has remained in power, consistently winning elections and asserting that independence supporters constitute a minority in French Polynesia before the UN. Photo by Jean-Luc Hauser, Wikimedia commons.