KOFI ANNAN CALLS WEEK OF SOLIDARITY OPPORTUNITY FOR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO REITERATE SUPPORT FOR TERRITORIES' PURSUIT OF FREEDOM, INDEPENDENCE
Press Release
SG/SM/7007
OBV/96
KOFI ANNAN CALLS WEEK OF SOLIDARITY OPPORTUNITY FOR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO REITERATE SUPPORT FOR TERRITORIES' PURSUIT OF FREEDOM, INDEPENDENCE
19990526 Following is the text of a message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the occasion of the observance of the Week of Solidarity with Peoples of All Colonial Territories Fighting for Freedom and Human Rights, at the Carribean Regional Seminar on the Small Island Non-Self-Governing Territories, Castries, St. Lucia, 25 May:It gives me pleasure to convey my greetings to the Special Committee of 24 on the occasion of the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories, and to all who have gathered in Castries, St. Lucia, for the Caribbean Regional Seminar of the Special Committee.
The Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, adopted by the General Assembly in 1960, strongly reaffirmed the right of all peoples to self-determination. The Declaration, along with the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights instruments, form the basis of the United Nations role and responsibility in democratization and in upholding the principles of self-determination.
Though more than 80 million people have attained independence, and their countries have joined the United Nations as sovereign States, the work of the Committee remains unfinished. Some 2 million people in the 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories continue to strive to determine their future.
This Week of Solidarity, which was initiated in support of national liberation movements in Africa, now includes the peoples of all the remaining dependent Territories and provides an opportunity for the international community to reiterate its solidarity with their pursuit of freedom and independence.
I would like to extend my best wishes to all the participants in this seminar, including Member States, representatives of Non-Self-Governing Territories and Administering Powers, inter-governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, experts, academics and observers. You have before you a good opportunity to hear the views and concerns of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories, and to assess the overall state of progress. Finally, the people and Government of St. Lucia merit our recognition for their generosity in hosting this Seminar.
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