United Nations Press Release – Halfway into the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, the United Nations must rise to its responsibilities and put an end to colonial occupations once and for all, delegates stressed today as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate on the issue.

Progress towards decolonizing the world’s 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories had been “agonizingly slow”, some speakers said, calling on the Organization to engage with the peoples of those Territories and ensure their right to self-determination. They also called upon the administering Powers to negotiate with a view to ending longstanding territorial disputes.

Speaking today were the representatives of Honduras, Turkey, Iraq, Bahrain, Togo, Cuba, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Central African Republic, Jordan, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Viet Nam, Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea, Gabon and Burundi.

Representative JUAN CARLOS MENDOZA-GARCÍA (Costa Rica), associating himself with CELAC, reiterated his full support for decolonization, but noted that the international community was still failing to make that process a distant memory. Costa Rica urged all administering Powers to transmit the required information on the Territories under their administration. He went on to reiterate support for the rightful claim of Argentina over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia Islands and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas. Noting that the situation of those areas was a “special and particular” case, he said that any attempt to break the national unity and territorial integrity of a State was incompatible with the spirit of the United Nations. Costa Rica urged the parties to resume negotiations, as too many years had elapsed without progress. He added that his country would continue to strive for a just and lasting solution to the situation of Western Sahara, calling for a referendum that would grant the Saharan people the right to self-determination.

Nicaragua’s representative rejected the occupation and militarization of part of Argentina’s territory. The United Kingdom continued to ignore and challenge the universal call made by the international community upon both parties to renew negotiations over the sovereignty dispute. “It is time to see these colonial enclaves returned to Argentina,” she emphasized.

However, the United Kingdom’s representative, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, responded that his country had no doubt as to its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), or about the right to self-determination of the Territory’s people. There could be no dialogue on sovereignty unless the islanders so wished, he emphasized.