Advancing decolonization process will require greater efforts by all, says Ban

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged greater cooperation between the United Nations body dealing with decolonization, the administering countries and the remaining 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories so that the people of these territories can exercise their right to self-determination.

“The completion of the process of decolonization will require the concerted efforts of all concerned: first and foremost, the Special Committee, the administering Powers, and the peoples in the Non-Self-Governing Territories,” Mr. Ban said in his remarks to the opening at UN Headquarters of the 2011 session of the Special Committee on Decolonization.

“Dialogue aimed at improving cooperation between the Special Committee and the administering Powers continues to be of utmost importance,” he told the body, which is formally known as the Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Granting of the Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

Adopted by the General Assembly in 1960, the Declaration affirmed the right of all people to self-determination and proclaimed that colonialism should be brought to a speedy and unconditional end. It states that the subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constitutes a denial of fundamental human rights, contravenes the UN Charter and impedes the promotion of world peace and cooperation.

Mr. Ban noted that the Special Committee, which was set up two years after the adoption of the Declaration, has a crucial role to play as the intergovernmental body exclusively devoted to advancing the UN decolonization agenda. It could assess its past work and achievements to chart a way forward, together with the administering Powers, for the ultimate benefit of the peoples of the Territories, he added.

At the time of the UN’s establishment in 1945, 750 million people – almost one-third of the global population – lived in non-self-governing territories, compared to fewer than 2 million at present.

“Today, 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories remain on the list, awaiting constructive, results-oriented initiatives,” he stated.

“On a case-by-case basis, those Territories have to be given the opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination in order to take the interests of their peoples fully into account. Colonial situations are completely outdated and must be addressed with renewed vigour and creativity.”