Special Committee on Decolonization to Hold Caribbean Regional Seminar in Parish of Saint John, Dominica, 25-27 August
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.
The Seminar is held under the auspices of the Special Committee, formally known as 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, or “C-24”).
The theme of the 2021 Seminar is “Charting a dynamic course for decolonization in commencing the Fourth International Decade and in the light of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, through commitment to mandate, collaboration, pragmatism and agility”. The Guidelines and rules of procedure are available on the United Nations and Decolonization website at www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en/c24/regional-seminars.
There are 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories remaining under the Special Committee’s purview: American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas)*, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, Guam, Montserrat, New Caledonia, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Tokelau, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands and Western Sahara. The administering Powers are France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Seminar will consider recent developments with respect to the 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories in the Caribbean, Pacific and other regions, on a case-by-case basis, particularly in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Seminar’s conclusions and recommendations will be considered by the Special Committee and subsequently transmitted to the General Assembly.
Keisha Aniya McGuire (Grenada), Chair of the Special Committee, will preside over the Seminar.
Participants invited include a Special Committee delegation comprising the Bureau and members of regional groups; United Nations Member States, including administering Powers; as well as representatives of the Non-Self-Governing Territories, civil society and non-governmental organizations as well as experts.
The 29 members of the Special Committee are Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Chile, China, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Mali, Nicaragua, 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.
The 2021 annual Secretariat working papers on each Non-Self-Governing Territories are available on the United Nations and Decolonization website at www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en/documents/workingpapers.
__________* A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).