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Posted on 10/06/2003 7:49:35 PM PDT by GeronL
Fifty-eighth General Assembly
Fourth Committee
2nd Meeting (PM)
SPEAKERS STRESS NEED TO ‘STAY THE COURSE’ UNTIL 16 REMAINING NON-SELF-GOVERNING
TERRITORIES ACHIEVE SELF-DETERMINATION, AS FOURTH COMMITTEE BEGINS DEBATE
Stressing the need to stay the course until the 16 remaining Non-Self- Governing Territories achieved self-determination, speakers reaffirmed their commitment to the mandate of the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), as that body began its general debate on decolonization issues this afternoon.
Noting that nearly three years after the proclamation of the Second International Decade on the Eradication of Colonialism some 2 million people still struggled towards self-determination, the representative of Iran underscored the need for dissemination of information among the peoples of the Territories on their rights to self-determination, as well as the importance of a case-by-case approach in dealing with the Territories and the need to strengthen cooperation with the administering Powers. Visiting missions and regional seminars, he added, provided a unique opportunity for the representatives of the Territories to present their views.
Describing the Special Committee on Decolonization as the “main force” of the United Nations for the decolonization of the remaining Territories, Peru’s representative, speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, noted that since that body’s creation, more than 80 million people had been able to exercise their right to self-determination and more than 60 territories had been decolonized. Despite its success in the transformation of the political world map, however, the United Nations had not yet fulfilled the goal of complete decolonization.
An information deficit was among the impediments that remained to the realization of the universal right to self-determination for the peoples of the remaining 16 Territories, the representative of Antigua and Barbuda, on behalf of Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said. Representatives of most of the territories had not been informed of their political options and information to Member States on the contemporary colonial dynamic in the Territories was equally lacking. Regional seminars, held alternatively in the Caribbean and Pacific, were an important way to bridge the information gap and offered the opportunity for in-depth discussion.
The 2003 seminar, held in Anguilla in May 2003, brought together Member States, United Nations agencies and regional experts who engaged in in-depth discussions and energetic debates on the main issues on the decolonization agenda, she said. Indeed, speakers unanimously welcomed the fact that for the first time, a regional seminar was held in a Non-Self-Governing Territory and praised the Governments of the United Kingdom, the administering Power for 10 of the 16 remaining Territories, and Anguilla for organizing the Caribbean regional seminar.
Describing the seminar as “something of a landmark”, the representative of the United Kingdom noted it showed the extent to which many of the British Overseas Territories had dynamic, advanced economies, which already benefited from a high degree of self-government. As seen from London, the United Kingdom had the impression that there was no strong desire in its Territories to choose the path of independence. As long as the Territories choose to retain their link with the United Kingdom, the key would be to reconcile their desire for ever greater autonomy and self-government with the United Kingdom’s responsibility to ensure good governance, protect the impartiality of the public service and the independence of the judiciary, and to ensure compliance with relevant international obligations.
In other business this afternoon, Isaac Lamba (Malawi), from the Group of African States, was elected by acclamation as vice-chairperson. The Committee elected two vice-chairpersons and a rapporteur at its organizational meeting on 29 September. It was decided at that meeting to defer the election of a third vice-chairperson until a later date.
Enrique Loedel (Uruguay), Committee Chairman, opened this afternoon’s proceedings. The Rapporteur of the Special Committee on Decolonization, Fayssal Mekdad (Syria), introduced that body’s report and outlined its work during the 2003 session. Bernard Tanoh-Boutchouse, the Acting Chairman of the Special Committee on Decolonization, briefed members on the Special Committee’s work.
The Fourth Committee will meet again tomorrow, 7 October, at 3 p.m. to continue its general debate on decolonization issues.
Background
As the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its annual debate on decolonization issues this afternoon, it had before it the 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 (document A/58/23, Parts I to III), covering that body’s 2003 session.
Established by the General Assembly in 1961, the Special Committee was requested to examine the application of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples contained in Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of December 1960, and to make recommendations on the progress of the Declaration’s implementation.
Part I of the report recalls that, in 1991, the Assembly endorsed a plan of action for the International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, which would include the organizing of seminars in the Caribbean and Pacific regions to review progress achieved and the dispatch of visiting missions to Non-Self-Governing Territories. At its fifty-fifth session, in 2000, the Assembly declared the period 2001 to 2010 the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism and called on Member States to redouble their efforts to implement the plan of action. The Special Committee held a Caribbean regional seminar at The Valley, Anguilla, from 20 to 22 May 2003. A senior-level representative of the United Kingdom participated in the seminar, the purpose of which was to review the implementation of the Plan of Action for the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. [The full text of the report of the Caribbean Regional Seminar is attached as an annex to Part I.]
Regarding future work, the report says the Special Committee intends to continue during 2004 to pursue its efforts to bring a speedy end to colonialism and will continue to fulfil the responsibilities entrusted to it in the context of the Second International Decade. The Special Committee will continue to keep the situation in the Non-Self-Governing Territories under review, examining the impact of developments on the political advancement of each Territory. It will also review compliance by Member States, particularly the administering Powers, with the relevant United Nations decision and resolutions. The Special Committee intends to intensify its dialogue with the administering Powers for the purpose of furthering decolonization by developing work programmes for the specific Territories. The Committee is particularly encouraged by fruitful meetings with representatives of New Zealand and Tokelau regarding progress in the process towards the Territory’s self-determination and by the effective United Nations mission to Tokelau, in August 2002. Plans for a study of Tokelau’s self-determination options are still to be developed
Greatly encouraged by the growing interest and participation by the people of the Non-Self-Governing Territories in the regional seminars, the report says, the Special Committee will continue to conduct seminars for the purpose of assessing, receiving and disseminating information on the situation in the Territories, to facilitate implementation of its mandate. The next seminar is planned for the Pacific region in 2004, and the Special Committee will continue to seek the cooperation of the administering Powers in dispatching United Nations visiting missions as a means of collecting first-hand information on conditions in the Territories and on the wishes of peoples for their future status.
Given the importance of disseminating information on decolonization, the report states, the Special Committee will continue to disseminate information on its activities and on the Territories in an effort to mobilize world public opinion to assist the people of the Territories to bring about a speedy end to colonialism. It also intends to develop, together with the Department of Public Information (DPI), programmes aimed at Territories that have requested information on self-determination options.
The Special Committee will continue to pay attention to the specific problems of the small island Territories, which constitute the overwhelming majority of the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, the report says. In addition to general problems facing developing countries, small island Territories also suffer handicaps arising from the interplay of factors such as size; remoteness; geographical dispersion; vulnerability to natural disasters; fragility of ecosystems; constraints in transport and communications; great distances from market centres; a highly limited international market; lack of natural resources; and vulnerability to drug trafficking, money-laundering and other illegal activities. The Committee will continue to recommend measures to facilitate a sustained and balanced growth of the Territories’ fragile ecosystems and increased assistance in the development of all economic sectors, with particular emphasis on diversification.
According to the report, the Special Committee recommends, among other things, that the General Assembly renew its appeal to the administering Powers to take all necessary steps to implement the Declaration; request all administering Powers to become involved in the Special Committee’s work; and continue to invite the administering Powers to allow representatives of the Territories concerned to participate in discussions of the Fourth Committee. It also recommends that the Assembly make adequate provisions to cover the Special Committee’s activities in 2004. Should additional provisions be required over and above the 2004-2005 proposed programme budget, proposals for supplementary requirements would be made to the Assembly for its approval.
Part II of the report outlines the Special Committee’s consideration of specific issues and actions taken on related draft resolutions during its 2003 session, which began on 12 February, including on the dissemination of information on decolonization; visiting missions to Territories; economic and other activities that affect the interests of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories; implementation of the decolonization Declaration by United Nations specialized agencies and associated international institutions; information from Non-Self-Governing Territories transmitted under Article 73 e of the United Nations Charter; and specific Territories. At its tenth meeting, on 23 June, the Special Committee adopted a consolidated resolution on 11 small Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Part III of the report contains draft resolutions and a decision recommended by the Special Committee to the General Assembly.
The Fourth Committee also had before it the Secretary-General’s report on information from Non-Self-Governing Territories transmitted under Article 73 e of the United Nations Charter (document A/58/69).
[Under Article 73 e, Member States with responsibilities for the administration of territories whose peoples have not yet attained self-government accept to transmit regularly to the Secretary-General information on the socio-economic and educational conditions in those territories other than Trusteeship territories falling under Chapters XII and XIII.]
Article 73 e transmissions include information on geography, history, population and socio-economic and educational conditions. In the case of Territories under the administration of New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, annual reports include information on constitutional matters. An annex to the report contains the dates of information transmitted to the Secretary-General for the years 2001 to 2004. The Secretary-General recommends that the information received from the administering Powers be used for the Secretariat’s preparation of working papers for discussion by the Special Committee on decolonization at its annual session.
Also before the Fourth Committee was the Secretary-General’s report on offers by Member States of study and training facilities for inhabitants of Non-Self-Governing Territories (document A/58/71), covering the period June 2002 to April 2003. The report lists 56 countries that have offered to make scholarships available to inhabitants of Non-Self-Governing Territories, and in current period offers from Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Mexico, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
According to the report, applications for scholarships received by the United Nations Secretariat are simultaneously transmitted to the offering States for consideration and to the administering Powers for information. In the period covered by the report, the Secretariat received no requests from students for information on the availability of scholarships.
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STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER and say THANKS to Jim Robinson! |
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The Cuba representative said;
ORLANDO REQUEIJO GUAL (Cuba), expressed regret over the lack of success in implementing the decolonization process over the last years. He highlighted the work of the Decolonization Committee, but warned that its efforts and good intentions were not enough and that some administering Powers refused to keep an official and respectful relationship with the Committee.Cuba, he said, opposed attempts to discredit the work of the Committee through the “manipulation” of the item on the revitalization of the General Assembly bodies. He rejected proposals to disband the Committee, or to fuse it with another body, and reiterated its support of its mandate.
He welcomed the visit of a mission of the Decolonization Committee to Tokelau as a positive trend that would lead to cooperation among administering Powers, Territories and the United Nations. At the same time, he rejected the fact that some administering Powers delayed submitting information on the Territories under their control and continued to undertake military exercises, despite the damage they caused to local populations.
He said that Cuba was gratified by the adoption of a number of resolutions recognizing the inalienable right of the Puerto Rican people to self-determination and independence in accordance with the provisions of resolution 1415 of the General Assembly. He expressed deep concern over the stalemate in Western Sahara and reaffirmed his conviction that holding an impartial referendum, including the option of independence, was the only viable way to find an honourable settlement.
Cuba, he said, reiterated its unrestrictive support of Argentina in the dispute over sovereignty of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and encouraged dialogue and cooperation between the parties. He also urged the administering Power of Guam to fully cooperate with the need to respect the inalienable rights of its inhabitants.
Make it where nn-government DC Residents don't pay income taxes. Those slum houses will be bought for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than they are now worth by wealthier people moving in.
Just consider if conservatives controlled the bureaucracy, schools, media, colleges... the left would be MUCH weaker than we are right now.
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