special committee on decolonization to hold pacific regional

seminar in fiji, 28-30 NOVEMBER

 

The Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, also known as the Special Committee of 24 on Decolonization, will hold its Pacific Regional Seminar on Yanuca Island, Fiji, from 28 to 30 November.

The Chairman of the Special Committee, Ambassador Anthony Severin ( Saint Lucia) will preside over the Seminar.  The participants are expected to include the delegation of the Special Committee ( China, Congo, Cuba, Fiji, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone and Syria) and other United Nations Member States, representatives of administering Powers, elected representatives of the Non-Self-Governing Territories, a number of experts on decolonization and non-governmental organizations.  A message from the Secretary-General will be delivered at the Seminar.

Conducted within the framework of the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2001-2010), and pursuant to a specific General Assembly directive, the Pacific Regional Seminar will focus on priority action by the international community and the parties concerned to advance the decolonization process with regard to the remaining 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Among the themes to be discussed during the Seminar are progress in the implementation of the Second International Decade, including strengthening and improving cooperation with administering Powers; the role of the Special Committee in facilitating the decolonization of the Non-Self-Governing Territories; the case of Tokelau; the views of administering Powers, representatives of the Territories and experts on the present status and level of completion of the decolonization process; and the role of the United Nations system in providing assistance to the Non-Self-Governing Territories.

During the Seminar, representatives of the Territories will provide information on the situation in their respective Territories, as experts and representatives of non-governmental organizations discuss issues relating to the decolonization process, drawing on experience gained in the Pacific region and elsewhere.  Representatives of the United Nations system will address the issue of assistance available to the Territories.  An exchange of views dealing with recommendations on advancing the work for the remainder of the Second International Decade will round out the event.

The deliberations will serve as a basis for the conclusions and recommendations of the Seminar, which, in turn, will be submitted to the Special Committee for discussion with a view to making proposals to the General Assembly concerning the fulfillment of the objectives of the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.

The current members of the Special Committee on Decolonization are:  Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Chile, China, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Mali, Papua New Guinea, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Syria, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, United Republic of Tanzania and Venezuela.

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For information media • not an official record