IPNEWS BD, 30 August, 2026, International Desk: The 21st General Assembly of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) was held in The Hague, the Netherlands, on August 29–30, 2026. Of the organization’s 39 members, 25 participated in person, while the remaining members joined the session online.
Priti Bindu Chakma and Enjebee Chakma participated in person as representatives of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), representing the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).
During the General Assembly, a new collective presidency was formed, comprising a president, vice presidents, treasurer and members of the presidency. Rubina Greenwood of the World Sindhi Congress was re-elected as President of UNPO for another two-year term.
Abdirahman Mahdi of the Ogaden National Liberation Front and Sofia Amini of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) were elected as vice presidents, while Tammy Breadh was elected treasurer.
The regular presidency includes Senator Paul Strauss, an American politician and attorney serving as the senior U.S. shadow senator for the District of Columbia; Ariadna Heinz, representing the Catalan people; Senator Tina Rose Muna-Barnes, a Guamanian politician serving her seventh term in the Guam Legislature; Zumretay Arkin, Chair of the Women’s Committee at the World Uyghur Congress (WUC); Deedagh Jamalzhi; Mourad Amellal; and Nancy Sinay.
During the session on resolutions, Priti Bindu Chakma briefed participants on the current situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and appealed to the international community to support the people of the region and exert pressure on the Government of Bangladesh to address the ongoing issues.
All resolutions presented at the General Assembly were adopted without objection.
At the closing ceremony, outgoing Secretary-General Merce Monje Cano and newly re-elected President Rubina Greenwood delivered speeches.
In her farewell address, Merce Monje Cano reflected on her seven-year tenure at UNPO, highlighting the organization’s journey, challenges, achievements and the experiences she gained during her time as Secretary-General. She described the period as one marked by both painful and joyful experiences and expressed satisfaction at how far the organization had progressed.
Rubina Greenwood, in her speech, thanked all participants, sponsors and volunteers for their contributions and expressed her determination to work more effectively toward achieving UNPO’s goals in the coming years.
‘Re-imagining Self-determination’ Conference
Earlier, the “Re-imagining Self-determination” conference was held in The Hague on August 27–28, 2026.
The conference opened with remarks from UNPO President Rubina Greenwood, Diana Eggleston, Special Envoy of the City of Peace and Justice; sponsor Eduardo Welsh; and UNPO Secretary-General Merce Monje Cano, who set the political and intellectual context for the two-day conference.
The conference brought together prominent figures from the United Nations, academia and civil society to discuss self-determination, representation, narratives and international solidarity.
Among the speakers were Professor Fiona McConnell, Professor of Political Geography and Fellow and Tutor at St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, and an advisor to UNPO; Ms. Anexa Brendalee Alfred Cunningham, Vice-Chair of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP); Professor Surya Deva, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development; and Professor Nicolas Levrat, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues.
The conference concluded with discussions and resolutions focusing on representation, narratives and solidarity among unrepresented nations and peoples.
