New Caledonia, Twenty Years On: 1988-2008

Is there a “New Caledonian way” that can resolve the serious conflicts that sometimes divide different societies? Twenty years of concord and ongoing negotiations seem to prove that such a process does exist, although it is still fragile.
Often called “the island closest to paradise”, New Caledonia nevertheless has a reputation for being a violent land, torn between those who consider it “theirs” because they were the “original inhabitants” and the “victims of history” who arrived there “against their will or looking for a second chance in life”. Yet it also reveals aspects of the Melanesian culture of consensus – and the clear-sightedness and intelligence of a number of politicians from the French and New Caledonian governments have further contributed to this tradition.

Chaired by former French Prime Minister, Michel Rocard, a conference held at the Palais du Luxembourg (also housing the French Senate) on 25-26 April 2008 provided an opportunity to evaluate the history of the Matignon-Oudinot (1988) and Noumea Accords (1998), study their implementation and the problems that have arisen, and consider prospects for the French territory and the other countries of the Pacific that are ravaged by many sources of conflict. Participants included prominent academics from France and overseas, political leaders and those who had taken part in the New Caledonian peace process. Among the subjects treated were the reactions of different political parties and various states in the Pacific region to these Accords, as well as historical perspectives on the New Caledonian situation.


Jean-Marc Regnault is a researcher with the University of French Polynesia and has taught at the University of New Caledonia, as well as at the Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres [Teacher Training Institute] in Wallis. He is the author of around 70 publications on the political and institutional history of Oceania.

Viviane Fayaud is a researcher with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Director of Pacific Studies at the Asia Network-Imasie (research unit of the CNRS, UPS 2999, and the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme) and leader of its Oceania Project. She defended her doctoral thesis, entitled Brosser le mythe et l’histoire: Tahiti et la Polynésie Orientale avant Paul Gauguin (1800-1890) [Outlining myth and history: Tahiti and East Polynesia before Paul
Gauguin (1800-1890)] at the University of Paris Sorbonne-Paris IV in 2005.