Special Committee on Decolonization

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the opening of the 2023 Pacific Regional Seminar on Decolonization, in Bali, Indonesia, today:

The Special Committee on Decolonization will hold the 2023 Pacific Regional Seminar in Bali, Indonesia, from 24 to 26 May within the framework of the fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2021-2030).

The Special Committee on Decolonization met today to approve the guidelines and rules of procedure for its 2023 Pacific Regional Seminar, which will be held in Bali, Indonesia, from 24 to 26 May.

Encouraging deeper collaboration and constructive dialogue to expedite the end of colonialism, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said ensuring the aspirational needs of small island territories under the purview of the Special Committee on Decolonization are met is a global responsibility.

Concluding its 2022 substantive session today, the Special Committee on Decolonization approved 20 draft resolutions and decisions to be forwarded to the General Assembly for adoption.

The Special Committee on Decolonization today adopted a resolution requesting the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom to consolidate the current process of dialogue through the resumption of negotiations to find a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute relating to the question of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

The Special Committee on Decolonization today approved a draft resolution reaffirming the inalienable right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence, and calling upon the United States to assume its responsibility to promote a process to those ends.

With New Caledonia in a critical phase of its decolonization process, stakeholders offered the Special Committee on Decolonization contesting reports on a recent referendum conducted in the Territory.

The Special Committee on Decolonization opened the substantive part of its 2022 session today, approving two draft resolutions related to information collected from, and critical visiting missions deployed to, the world’s 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing territories.

CASTRIES, Saint Lucia, 13 May — The 2022 Pacific Regional Seminar on Decolonization concluded today, with delegations reaching agreement on a set of recommendations and conclusions.