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Special Committee on Decolonization

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Not to be confused with Special Political and Decolonization Committee.

Special Committee on Decolonization
AbbreviationC24
Formation27 November 1961; 63 years ago (1961-11-27)
Legal statusActive
HeadquartersNew York, United States
Head
Chair
Grenada Keisha A. McGuire[1]
Parent organization
United Nations General Assembly
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The United Nations Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, or the Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24), is a committee of the United Nations General Assembly that was established in 1961 and is exclusively devoted to the issue of decolonization.[2]

History

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When the United Nations was created, there were 750 million people living in territories that were non-self-governing. However, the Charter of the United Nations included, in Chapter XI, provisions calling for recognition of the rights of inhabitants of territories administered by its Member States. It called for these Member States to aid in the establishment of self-governance through the development of free political institutions, as well as to keep in mind the political aspirations of the people.[3][4]

The Charter also created, in Chapter XII, the international trusteeship system. This system allowed for the administration and supervision of territories placed under the control of the United Nations by Member States wishing to grant independence to their colonial possessions. These "Trust" territories were administered by the United Nations Trusteeship Council, which was created by Chapter XIII of the Charter.[5][6]

Hoping to speed up the process of decolonization, the General Assembly passed Resolution 1514 (XV), also known as the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. The Declaration stated that all peoples have the right to self-determination and that immediate steps should be taken to end colonialism unconditionally.[7]

Original member states

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On 27 November 1961, the General Assembly created the precursor to the Special Committee by Resolution 1654 (XVI), which established a Special Committee of 17 member states to examine the application of the Declaration and to make recommendations on how to better implement it. The original member states were:[8]

On 7 December 1962, the General Assembly added seven seats to the committee, bringing the total number of member states up to 24.[9] The number increased again in 2004, 2008, and 2010.[10] The number 24 continues to be used when describing the Committee even though it now has 29 member states.

International Decades for the Eradication of Colonialism

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Further information: International Decades for the Eradication of Colonialism

In 1990, the General Assembly proclaimed 1990–2000 as the First International Decades for the Eradication of Colonialism by Resolution 43/47, with the ultimate goal being the full implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. The General Assembly adopted the report of the Secretary-General dated 13 December 1991 as the Plan of Action for the Decade.[11][12]

On 8 December 2000, the General Assembly proceeded to proclaim the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, lasting from 2001 to 2010 via Resolution 55/146. The Resolution called upon Member States to redouble their efforts to implement the Plan of Action during the Second Decade.[13]

On 10 December 2010, the General Assembly proclaimed 2010–2020 as the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism via Resolution 65/119. The Resolution called upon Member States to intensify their efforts to continue to implement the Plan of Action during the Third Decade.[14]

In 2020, the General Assembly proclaimed 2021–2030 as the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism via Resolution 75/123.[15]

Working methods

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The Committee holds its main session in New York in June, as well as an annual seminar in the Caribbean and Pacific in alternate years. In 2018, the seminar was held in St. George's, Grenada.[10]

At each main session, the Committee reviews the list of territories to which the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples is applicable and makes recommendations on its implementation and on the dissemination of public information on decolonization to the local population. It also hears statements from Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGTs), dispatches missions to these NSGTs and organizes seminars on the political, social and economic situation in the NSGTs.[10]

The Committee reports to the General Assembly on its work through the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization).[16]

Listed non-self-governing territories

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See also: United Nations list of non-self-governing territories § Current entries

Currently, there are 17 territories on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories.[17]

Territory
Capital Currency Language(s) Population Administering Power UN Continental Region UN Geographical Subregion Notes Source(s)
 American Samoa[note 1] Pago Pago United States dollar English 44,620  United States Oceania Polynesia [note 2]
[note 3] 		[18]
 Anguilla The Valley Eastern Caribbean dollar English 15,753  United Kingdom Americas Caribbean [note 4] [19]
 Bermuda Hamilton Bermudian dollar English 63,913  United Kingdom Americas Caribbean [note 4] [20]
 British Virgin Islands Road Town United States dollar[note 5] English 30,030  United Kingdom Americas Caribbean [note 4] [21]
 Cayman Islands George Town Cayman Islands dollar English 81,546  United Kingdom Americas Caribbean [note 4] [22]
 Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (disputed)[note 6] Stanley Falkland Islands pound English 3,662  United Kingdom Americas South America [note 7] [24]
 French Polynesia[note 8] Papeete CFP franc French 278,786  France Oceania Polynesia [note 9] [25][26]
 Gibraltar (disputed) Gibraltar Gibraltar pound English 34,003  United Kingdom Europe Southern Europe [note 10] [27]
 Guam Hagåtña United States dollar English 168,801  United States Oceania Micronesia [note 11] [28]
 Montserrat Plymouth Eastern Caribbean dollar English 4,390  United Kingdom Americas Caribbean [note 4] [29]
 New Caledonia Nouméa CFP franc French 271,407  France Oceania Melanesia [note 12] [30]
 Pitcairn[note 13] Adamstown New Zealand dollar English 47  United Kingdom Oceania Polynesia [note 4] [31]
 Saint Helena[note 14] Jamestown Saint Helena pound English 5,633  United Kingdom Africa Western Africa [note 4] [32]
 Tokelau (none)[note 15] New Zealand dollar English 1,499  New Zealand Oceania Polynesia [note 16] [34]
 Turks and Caicos Islands Grand Turk[note 17] United States dollar English 44,542  United Kingdom Americas Caribbean [note 4] [35]
 U.S. Virgin Islands Charlotte Amalie United States dollar English 87,146  United States Americas Caribbean [note 11] [36]
Western Sahara (disputed) El Aaiún (claimed) Moroccan dirham[note 18] Arabic
Spanish 		565,581  Spain (formerly)[note 19]
 Morocco (currently) 		Africa Northern Africa [note 20] [39]

These territories do not have representation equivalent to other regions of their parent states. As of December 2021, several have rejected a change of status through referendums, such as New Caledonia in 2018, 2020,[40] and 2021, the Falkland Islands in 2013,[41] and Gibraltar in 2002.[42] Likewise, in 2013, the elected Assembly of French Polynesia opposed the territory's inclusion in the list.[43] Others, such as Guam, have voted for a change in status but been refused by their colonising state.[citation needed]

Membership

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The member states of the committee.

The following are the current member states of the committee:[10][44]

* Original member state

Controversy

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Territories with independence movements are disputed for their qualification as colonial countries and their admission for decolonization. Various current and previous member states on various occasions have disputed and blocked the admission and re-admission of their respective territories for decolonization.[45]

  • China has blocked the admission of Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia, Macao, Tibet, and Xinjiang as non-self-governing territories.[citation needed] China considers Hong Kong and Macao as territories forcibly ceded to European powers, the territories are possessions rather than colonies, and that China enjoys sovereignty over these territories. China claims that these regions are currently self-governed and are generally not considered colonial holdings.[46] However, the annexations of Tibet and Xinjiang led to their current status as autonomous regions of China, and there have been various accounts of forced sterilization and abortion in Tibet and Xinjiang, forced labor and internment in Xinjiang, and forced assimilation, political control, and stripping of political representation to people of all these regions.[47][48][49][50][51][52]

Various organizations including the British delegates claimed that the committee is 'no longer relevant' to the United Kingdom Overseas Territories as many of its member states are colonizers themselves, controlling various territories wanting independence.[60][61][62]

Bureau

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The following make up the bureau of the Special Committee for the 73rd Session of the General Assembly:[10]

Name Country Position
Walton Alfonso Webson  Antigua and Barbuda Chair
Anayansi Rodriguez Camejo  Cuba Vice-chair
Dian Triansyah Djani  Indonesia Vice-chair
Adikalie Foday Sumah  Sierra Leone Vice-chair
Bashar Ja’afari  Syrian Arab Republic Rapporteur

Recommendation on Puerto Rico

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The Special Committee on Decolonization refers to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (an unincorporated organized territory of the United States) as a nation in its reports, because, internationally, the people of Puerto Rico are often considered to be a Caribbean nation with their own national identity.[63][64] Most recently, in a June 2016 report, the Special Committee called for the United States to expedite the process to allow self-determination in Puerto Rico. More specifically, the group called on the United States to expedite a process that would allow the people of Puerto Rico to exercise fully their right to self-determination and independence. ... [and] allow the Puerto Rican people to take decisions in a sovereign manner and to address their urgent economic and social needs, including unemployment, marginalization, insolvency and poverty".[59] However, the Special Committee removed Puerto Rico from the list of non-self-governing territories in 1952 due to it gaining Commonwealth status in the United States.

In one of the referendums on the political status of Puerto Rico held in 2012, only 5.49% of Puerto Ricans voted for independence, while 61.16% voted for statehood and 33.34% preferred free association. Another then-recent referendum was held in 2017 with over 97% voting in favor of statehood over independence, though historically low voter turn-out (23%) has called into question the validity of the poll. Much of the low turn-out has been attributed to a boycott led by the pro-status-quo PPD party and the pro-independence PIP party.[65] A 2020 referendum also backed statehood 53 percent to 47 percent, with 55 percent turnout.[66]

On June 22, 2023, while Puerto Rico currently enjoys the status of a free state associated with the United States, the UN Special Committee once again calls on the Government of the United States to assume its responsibility and to take measures that allow the Puerto Rican people to exercise their right to self-determination and independence, as well as to make sovereign decisions, in order to urgently meet the economic and social needs of the country.[67]

In June 2024, around twenty independence and sovereignist organizations spoke on Puerto Rico during a session of the United Nations Decolonization Committee. The committee affirmed Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and independence. In July 2024, Governor Pedro Pierluisi called a plebiscite on the status of Puerto Rico in November 2024, for the first time the island's current status as a U.S. territory will not be an option during the non-binding plebiscite. The executive order follows the U.S. House of Representatives 2022 approval of a bill to help Puerto Rico move toward a change in territorial status. Voters are given the choice of statehood, independence, or independence with free association, the terms of which would be negotiated regarding foreign affairs, U.S. citizenship, and use of the U.S. dollar.[68]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Also known in the conventional form as the Territory of American Samoa.
  2. ^ Political status: Unincorporated unorganized territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ Swains Island is claimed by Tokelau as Olohega.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Political status: Overseas territory of the United Kingdom.
  5. ^ The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous United States Virgin Islands to the west. The U.S. dollar is the legal currency.
  6. ^ The United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization considers South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands to be a part of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).[23] The Falkland Islands (Malvinas) includes two main islands (East Falkland and West Falkland) and about 200 smaller islands or islets. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands includes one main island (South Georgia) and an archipelago (the South Sandwich Islands). Argentina also claims these islands.
  7. ^ Political status: Disputed territory. Administered by the United Kingdom as an overseas territory named the Falkland Islands, claimed by Argentina as the Islas Malvinas (see Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute).
  8. ^ Also known as the Overseas Country of French Polynesia.
  9. ^ Political status: Overseas collectivity and overseas country of France.
  10. ^ Political status: Disputed territory. Administered by the United Kingdom as an overseas territory, claimed by Spain (see Status of Gibraltar).
  11. ^ a b Political status: Unincorporated organized territory of the United States.
  12. ^ Political status: Sui generis collectivity of France.
  13. ^ Officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands.
  14. ^ Officially Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
  15. ^ Tokelau has no official capital, each atoll has its own administrative centre.
  16. ^ Political status: Non-self-governing territory of New Zealand.[33]
  17. ^ Commonly known as Cockburn Town.
  18. ^ De facto currency.
  19. ^ Although the Spanish government informed the United Nations that it had withdrawn from the territory in February 1976, the UN still considers Spain the administering state, as the legal status of the territory and the issue of sovereignty remain unresolved. The territory is contested by Morocco and the Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), based out of refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria.
  20. ^ Political status: A disputed territory with undetermined political status.[37] Formerly Spanish Sahara up to 1976, administration is currently split between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, both of which claim the entire territory. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's administrative control is limited to approximately 30% of the territory, with the remaining 70% of the territory occupied by Morocco.[38] The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara is the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the territory (see Western Sahara conflict).

Explanatory notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Premier attends decolonisation seminar". The BVI Beacon. 10 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Committee of 24 (Special Committee on Decolonization)". United Nations and Decolonization. United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Chapter XI". United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  4. ^ "History". United Nations Department of Public Information. United Nations. n.d. Archived from the original on 22 December 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Chapter XII". United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Chapter XIII". United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  7. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 15 Resolution 1514. Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples A/RES/1514(XV) 14 December 1960. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  8. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 16 Resolution 1654. The situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples A/RES/1654(XVI) 27 November 1961. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  9. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 17 Resolution 1810. The Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples A/RES/1810(XVII) 7 December 1962. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d e Manhire, Vanessa, ed. (2018). "United Nations Handbook 2018–19" (PDF). United Nations Handbook:: An Annual Guide for Those Working within the United Nations (56th ed.). Wellington: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand: 63–64. ISSN 0110-1951.
  11. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 43 Resolution 47. International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism A/RES/43/47 22 November 1988. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  12. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 46 Report of the Secretary-General 634 Rev. 1. Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples A/46/634/Rev.1 13 December 1991. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  13. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 55 Resolution 146. Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism A/RES/55/146 8 December 2000. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  14. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 65 Resolution 119. Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism A/RES/65/119 10 December 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  15. ^ United Nations: International Decades for the Eradication of Colonialism
  16. ^ "General Assembly and Peacekeeping". United Nations. n.d. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  17. ^ "Non-Self-Governing Territories". UN.org. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  18. ^ American Samoa at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  19. ^ Anguilla at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  20. ^ Bermuda at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  21. ^ British Virgin Islands at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  22. ^ Cayman Islands at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  23. ^ "United Nations - The World Today". UN.org. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  24. ^ Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  25. ^ French Polynesia at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  26. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 68 Resolution 93. A/RES/68/93 Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  27. ^ Gibraltar at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  28. ^ Guam at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  29. ^ Guam at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  30. ^ New Caledonia at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  31. ^ Pitcairn Islands at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  32. ^ Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  33. ^ Tokelau Government: Political System
  34. ^ Tokelau at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  35. ^ Turks and Caicos Islands at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  36. ^ U.S. Virgin Islands at the CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  37. ^ BBC News: Western Sahara profile
  38. ^ City Population: Western Sahara (disputed territory)
  39. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica: Western Sahara. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  40. ^ "New Caledonia referendum: South Pacific territory rejects independence from France". BBC News. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  41. ^ Caroline Wyatt, Defence correspondent (12 March 2013). "Falklands referendum: Voters choose to remain UK territory". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2016. {{cite news}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  42. ^ Daly, Emma (8 November 2002). "Gibraltar Rejects Power-Sharing Between Britain and Spain". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  43. ^ "Tahiti assembly votes against UN decolonisation bid", Radio New Zealand International, 17 May 2013
  44. ^ "Members". United Nations and Decolonization. United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  45. ^ "Special Committee on Decolonization". Owl Apps. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  46. ^ "Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities in China". Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  47. ^ Master, Farah (5 October 2018). "In Macau, Portuguese elites feel squeezed out by Chinese influence". Reuters. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  48. ^ Tsung-gan, Kong (15 October 2017). "Mainlandization: How the Communist Party works to control and assimilate Hong Kong". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  49. ^ Khatchadourian, Raffi. "Surviving the Crackdown in Xinjiang". The New Yorker. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  50. ^ "The CCP Extends its Policy of Assimilation to Inner Mongolia". Jamestown. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  51. ^ "Witnesses to China's Shame". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  52. ^ Maizland, Lindsay. "China's Repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang". cfr. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  53. ^ Eurasia, Paul Goble for Window on; network, part of the New East (15 August 2014). "From Siberia to Kaliningrad: the fledgling independence movements gaining traction in Russia". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  54. ^ "Russia's Separatist Movements – Fair Observer". fairobserver.com. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  55. ^ "Forced Ethnic Migration". Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  56. ^ "Tatarstan Reaches Pact With Moscow, Drops Sovereignty Bid". Los Angeles Times. 18 February 1994. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  57. ^ Smirnova, Lena (25 July 2017). "Tatarstan, the Last Region to Lose Its Special Status Under Putin". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  58. ^ "Russian 'Federalism' Now Means As Little As It Did In Soviet Times". www.interpretermag.com. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  59. ^ a b "Special Committee on Decolonization Approves Text Calling upon United States Government to Expedite Self-Determination Process for Puerto Rico". United Nations. UN. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  60. ^ "Special Committee on Decolonization 'No Longer Relevant' to Overseas Territories of United Kingdom, Fourth Committee Told – Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". un.org. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  61. ^ "Special Committee on Decolonization Would Urge Secretary-General to Maintain All Functions of Decolonization Unit of Political Affairs Department – Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". un.org. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  62. ^ Pearson, Jessica Lynne (4 May 2017). "Defending Empire at the United Nations: The Politics of International Colonial Oversight in the Era of Decolonisation". The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History. 45 (3): 525–549. doi:10.1080/03086534.2017.1332133.
  63. ^ United Nations. General Assembly. Special Committee on the Situation With Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (1971). Report of the Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. Vol. 23. United Nations Publications. pp. 10–11. ISBN 978-92-1-810211-9.
  64. ^ XIV Ministerial Conference of the Movement of Non-Aligned Nations. Durban, South Africa, 2004. See pages 14–15. Archived 31 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  65. ^ "PDP to boycott status referendum". 20 April 2017.
  66. ^ Budryk, Zack (5 November 2020). "Puerto Rico votes in favor of US statehood". The Hill. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  67. ^ United, Nation (22 June 2023). "Special Committee on Decolonization Approves Resolution Reaffirming Puerto Rico's Inalienable Right to Self-determination, Independence". United Nation. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  68. ^ "Puerto Rico will include status plebiscite in November's general elections". Associated Press News. July 2024.
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