The United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories is a list of countries that, according to the United Nations, are non-decolonized. The list was initially prepared in 1946 pursuant to Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter, and has been updated by the General Assembly on recommendation of the Special Committee on Decolonization and its predecessors. Only permanently inhabited territories are considered for inclusion in this list, excluding many remote atolls (e.g., Clipperton Island and Kingman Reef) and Southern Ocean territories (e.g., French Southern and Antarctic Lands and Heard Island and McDonald Islands). The list currently contains 16 entries, all of which would become microstates: only four have populations in excess of 100,000, and the smallest has a population of only 48.
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History
The list draws its origins from the period of colonialism and the Charter's concept of non-self-governing territories. Thus, Western Sahara was initially included in 1963 by Moroccan demand when it was a Spanish colony. The same can be said about the situation of Namibia (removed upon its independence in 1990), which was seen, due to its former status as a mandate territory, as a vestige of German colonial legacy in Africa. A set of criteria for determining whether a territory is to be considered "non-self-governing" was established in General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV) of 1960.
Also in 1960, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 1514 (XV), promulgating the "Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples", which declared that all remaining non-self-governing territories and trust territories were entitled to self-determination and independence. The following year, the General Assembly established the Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (sometimes referred to as the Special Committee on Decolonization, or the "Committee of 24" because for much of its history the committee was composed of 24 members), which reviews the situation in non-self-governing territories each year and reports to the General Assembly.
Criticism
The list remains controversial for various reasons.
Choose to remain a territory
One reason for this is the fact that it includes many dependencies that, some contend, have democratically chosen to maintain their territorial status, and rejected independence (or in some cases the territory periodically organizes referenda, as in the United States Virgin Islands, but there is insufficient voter participation). Other non-self-determining areas are excluded.
Another example is Tokelau. In response to attempts at decolonizing Tokelau, New Zealand journalist Michael Field wrote in 2004: "The UN [...] is anxious to rid the world of the last remaining vestiges of colonialism by the end of the decade. It has a list of 16 territories around the world, virtually none of which wants to be independent to any degree".[1] Tokelau is seen by some as a case in point. Field further notes that Patuki Isaako, who was head of Tokelau's government at the time of a UN seminar on decolonization in 2004, informed the United Nations that his country had no wish to be decolonized, and that Tokelauans had opposed the idea of decolonization ever since the first visit by UN officials in 1976. In 2006, a UN-supervised referendum on decolonization was held in Tokelau, where voters rejected the offer of self-government. When the first referendum failed, a second was held in 2007, and Tokelauans rejected it again. This led New Zealand politician and former diplomat John Hayes, on behalf of the National Party, to state that "Tokelau did the right thing to resist pressure from [the New Zealand government and] the United Nations to pursue self-government".[2] The United Nations most likely supported there being a referendum because clear majorities of Tokelauans support independence. This was reinforced by the results of the referendum, which show that over 60% (60.07% in the first referendum, and 64.40% in the second) voted for independence. However, the terms of the referendum required a two-thirds majority to vote in favor of independence. On the second occasion, the proposition failed by just 16 votes. In May 2008, the United Nations' Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged colonial powers "to complete the decolonization process in every one of the remaining 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories".[3] This led the New Zealand Herald to comment that the United Nations was "apparently frustrated by two failed attempts to get Tokelau to vote for independence from New Zealand".[4]
The government of Morocco has repeatedly called for Spain to transfer the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla, along with uninhabited islets such as the islands of Alhuceima, Velez and the Perejil islet Isla Perejil, drawing comparisons with Spain's territorial claim to Gibraltar. In both cases, the national governments and local populations of the disputed territories reject these claims by a large majority, similar to the rejection of Spanish sovereignty by the population of Gibraltar. The Spanish position states that both Ceuta and Melilla are integral parts of the Spanish state, and have been since the 15th century, whereas Gibraltar, being a British Overseas Territory, is not and never has been part of the United Kingdom, although it was ceded in perpetuity to the British Crown and remains British territory. However, Morocco denies these claims and maintains that the Spanish presence in Ceuta and the other presidios on its coast is a remnant of the colonial past which should be ended - similar to the Spanish statement about Gibraltar.
Completely autonomous dependencies
Another criticism is that a number of the listed territories, such as Bermuda, consider themselves completely autonomous and self-governing,[citation needed] with the "administering power" retaining a limited number of responsibilities such as defense and diplomacy.
Removed under other circumstances
Territories that have achieved a status described by the administering countries ("the colonizing power") as internally self-governing — such as Puerto Rico, the Netherlands Antilles, and the Cook Islands — have been removed from the list by vote of the General Assembly, often under pressure of the colonizing power or similar circumstances[neutrality disputed]. In 1972, for example, Hong Kong (then administered by the United Kingdom) and Macau (then administered by Portugal) were removed from the list at the request of the People's Republic of China, which had just been recognized as holding China's seat at the United Nations. Many critics[who?] charge the Committee that drafts this list with using it as a political instrument.
Some territories that have been annexed and incorporated into the legal framework of the controlling state (such as the overseas departments of France) are considered by the UN to have been decolonized, since they then no longer constitute "non-self-governing" entities; their populations are assumed to have agreed to merge with the former parent state. However, in 1961, the General Assembly voted to end this treatment for the then-"overseas provinces" of Portugal such as Angola and Mozambique, which were active foci of United Nations attention until they attained independence in the mid-1970s.
Status revocation
On December 2, 1986, New Caledonia, then an overseas territory, was reinstated on the list of non-self-governing territories, an action that France protested. New Caledonia is the only French-administered territory now on the list; it has enjoyed the status of a collectivité sui generis. or a one-of-a-kind community, since 1999. Under the 1998 Nouméa Accord its Territorial Congress has the right to call for a referendum on independence after 2014.
List not complete
Another point of controversy the criteria set down in 1960 by Resolution 1541 (XV), which only focused on colonies of the Western World, namely Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States. Of the 111 members who joined the UN between 1960 and 2008, 41 were never included on the list. Of those 41 in 1960, eight (mostly Arab) were ruled by the "Western" countries but 12 were ruled by the Soviet Union (now Russia), six by Yugoslavia (now dissolved), two by Czechoslovakia (now dissolved), one by Ethiopia, one each by Pakistan and India, and 11 by themselves, namely Andorra, Bhutan, Germany, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Mongolia (still claimed by the Republic of China), Oman, People's Democratic Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, San Marino, and Switzerland. Hindsight consideration of the list as incomplete often results in criticism from independence activists for Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization members like the Tibetan independence movement, which sees China as another colonial power.
Current entries
Notes
A Spanish colony up to 1976, 85% of the territory of Western Sahara is now occupied by Morocco.[5] The rest is administered by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, awaiting the outcome of the ongoing Manhasset negotiations and resulting election to be overseen by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.
Former entries
The following territories have all been on the List of Non-Self-Governing Territories in the past. The date, former administering/colonial power (where not obvious from the name), and reason for removal from the List are given for each.
Change of status
Notes
- French Establishments in Oceania, 1947, on change of status (now known as French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna Islands; New Caledonia subsequently restored to list)
- Goa and dependencies (Portugal), 1961, in response to the invasion of India (now part of India)
- Hong Kong (United Kingdom), 1972, on change of status (returned to People's Republic of China in 1997)
- Macau (Portugal), 1972, on change of status (returned to People's Republic of China in 1999)
- Panama Canal Zone (United States), 1947, on change of status (Panama requested that Canal Zone be removed from the list; now part of Panama)
- Puerto Rico (United States), 1953, on change of status; however, since 1972, the U.N. Decolonization Committee has called for Puerto Rico's decolonization and for the United States to recognize the island's right to self-determination and independence. Most recently, the Decolonization Committee called for the United Nations General Assembly to review the political status of Puerto Rico, a power reserved by the 1953 Resolution.[8]
Former colonized territories which have become independent states
Notes
- Aden Colony and Protectorate, 1967, on independence from the United Kingdom as South Yemen (also referred to as Democratic Yemen from 1970 to 1990, now part of Yemen)
- Belgian Congo became Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) in 1960, Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1964, Zaire in 1971, and again Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997.
- Cambodia, formerly part of French Indo-China, 1953, on independence from France
- Cameroons French Trust Territory, 1960, on independence from France as Cameroon
- Cameroons British Trust Territory, 1961, on merger with Nigeria and Cameroon
- East Timor, May 20, 2002, on independence from Indonesia, which had ruled it since 1975, the year of its independence from Portugal (now known in the United Nations as Timor-Leste)
- Ellice Islands formerly part of Gilbert & Ellice Islands Colony, 1978, on independence from the United Kingdom as Tuvalu
- Fernando Po and Río Muni, formerly known as Spanish Guinea, 1968, on independence from Spain as Equatorial Guinea
- French Equatorial Africa, 1960, on independence from France as Chad, Congo (now the Republic of the Congo), Central African Republic and Gabon
- French Somaliland, also known as French Territory of the Afars and the Issas, 1977, on independence from France as Djibouti
- French West Africa, 1960, on independence from France as Dahomey (now Benin), Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Niger, French Sudan as the Mali Federation (now Republic of Mali and Senegal), and Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso). French Guinea (now Guinea) achieved independence from French West Africa in 1958.
- Laos (formerly part of French Indo-China), 1949, on independence from France
- Malaya, 1957, on independence from the United Kingdom (now part of Malaysia)
- Nauru, 1968, on independence from United Nations trusteeship administered by Australia on behalf of the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand
- New Hebrides, 1980, on independence from Anglo-French Condominium as Vanuatu
- North Borneo (also known as Sabah), 1963, on joining Malaysia
- Ruanda-Urundi, 1962, on independence from Belgium as Rwanda and Burundi
- Sarawak, 1963, on joining Malaysia
- Singapore, 1963, on joining Malaysia (Singapore became independent from Malaysia in 1965)
- South-West Africa, March 21, 1990, on independence from South Africa as Namibia
- Suriname (Netherlands), 1953, on change of status (now independent as Suriname)
- Vietnam (formerly part of French Indo-China), 1954, on independence from France (known as Viet Nam in the United Nations)
Sources
- Non-Self-Governing Territories listed by General Assembly of the United Nations in 2002.
- ^ "Tokelau wonders 'What have we done wrong?'", Michael Field, AFP, June 2, 2004
- ^ "Congratulations Tokelau", National Party press release, October 26, 2007
- ^ "Colonialism has no place in today's world," says Secretary General in message to Decolonization Seminar in Indonesia", United Nations press release, May 14, 2008
- ^ "Tokelau decolonization high on agenda", New Zealand Herald, May 17, 2008
- ^ UN General Assembly Resolution 34/37 and UN General Assembly Resolution 35/19
- ^ Infobox image in "History" section of "About Greenland", English version of the official country government website. Accessed online 2008-09-28, Sunday.
- ^ http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/06/greenland-takes-over-courts-police.php
- ^ Special Committee on Decolonization Calls on United States to Expedite Puerto Rico's Self-determination Process - General Assembly GA/COL/3160 - Department of Public Information - June 14, 2007
See also
- Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
- List of active autonomist and secessionist movements
- List of dependent territories
- List of sovereign states
- List of states with limited recognition
External links
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