International News
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to the opening of the 2021 Caribbean Regional Seminar on Decolonization, in Parish of St. John, Dominica, delivered on 25 August:
The 2021 Caribbean Regional Seminar on Decolonization concluded today with speakers highlighting the challenges and opportunities facing the world’s 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories — including the coronavirus pandemic and climate change — going into the fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2021-2030).
SAINT JOHN’S PARISH, Dominica, 26 August — The long-running question of Western Sahara, the sole Territory in Africa remaining on the United Nations decolonization list, took centre stage on day two of the Caribbean Regional Seminar today, with speakers also discussing Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
Note: Owing to the liquidity crisis and the current COVID-19 pandemic impacting our Organization, only a partial summary of today's Caribbean Regional Seminar is available at this time. The complete summary will be issued later as Press Release GA/COL/3349.
The Special Committee on Decolonization will hold the 2021 Caribbean Regional Seminar in the Parish of Saint John, Dominica, from 25 to 27 August 2021, within the framework of the start of the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2021-2030). The Seminar, initially scheduled for 19 to 21 May, was postponed due to the situation relating to the coronavirus pandemic.
Note: Due to the liquidity crisis and the current COVID-19 pandemic impacting our Organization, only a partial summary of statements made in today’s meetings of the Special Committee on Decolonization are available. The complete summary will be issued as Press Release GA/COL/3347.
The Special Committee on Decolonization approved today a draft resolution calling upon the United States to assume its responsibility to promote a process to enable the people of Puerto Rico to fully exercise their right to self-determination and independence.
Highlighting fresh developments in Guam and New Caledonia, delegates provided updates on some of the world’s 17 remaining Non‑Self‑Governing Territories, as the Special Committee on Decolonization continued its 2021 substantive session.
Expediting the decolonization process must be seen as an imperative, United Nations Secretary-General Antônio Guterres told the Special Committee on Decolonization today, emphasizing that a constructive relationship with administrating Powers and all involved is indispensable for progress on a case-by-case basis.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message, as delivered by Rosemary A. DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, to the organizational meeting of the 2021 session of the Special Committee on Decolonization, today: