Lingering Consequences of Colonialism, Historical Debt Highlighted in Fourth Committee, as It Concludes General Debate for Session
As the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) concluded its general debate today on decolonization and related items, speakers paid homage to the resilience and determination of those who continue to strive for freedom.
The representative of the United Republic of Tanzania described his own country’s history as a testament to this. Recalling the efforts of its “founding fathers who fought against colonial rule to birth a nation, built on unity, equality and justice”, he reaffirmed solidarity with the people of Non-Self-Governing Territories around the world. They still yearn for “the same freedoms we enjoy”, he said, stressing that respecting their right to self-determination “is not a mere formality”. It requires genuine commitment, dialogue and “the willingness to listen”.
China’s speaker highlighted the lingering historical consequences of colonialism. The colonial rule and slave trade carried out by some Western countries inflicted exploitation on developing countries, plundered their resources and created global economic inequities that continue to affect trade and cultural exchange. He welcomed the Committee’s previous adoption of the resolution on eradicating colonialism in all forms and manifestations and called for its adoption again this year. He urged the beneficiaries of colonialism to show political will, acknowledge their historical debt and provide compensation for the consequences. “Stop pursuing hegemonism and power politics,” he added.
Once classified as a Non-Self-Governing Territory, Namibia, that country’s delegate said, gained independence through a prolonged military and diplomatic struggle. “The fallacy that occupation, once prolonged, can be legitimized is ill-conceived,” he stressed. On Western Sahara, he called on the Member States concerned to fully respect the sovereign will of the Sahrawi people and their inalienable right to decide their political future in accordance with international law. The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) must be allowed to implement its mandate, he said, calling all obstructions to the Mission’s work a travesty. He also called for a visiting mission to provide accurate assessments of the situation.
As in previous days, the Committee found itself divided on the question of that Territory. The representative of Malawi, for instance, expressed support for the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, and called for resumption of the inclusive round-table process, involving Morocco, Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (Frente POLISARIO), Algeria and Mauritania. Urging Frente POLISARIO to return to the ceasefire and lift its restrictions on MINURSO’s freedom of movement, he called on all the negotiating parties to compromise and desist from sowing seeds of distrust. “It is only through political engagement that a practicable and peaceful solution can be achieved,” he said.
For his part, Morocco’s delegate, recalling the global commitmentexpressed at the Summit of the Future to build a more peaceful world, said his country has echoed this vision in its approach to settling the dispute concerning the Moroccan Sahara. The Moroccan autonomy initiative — a “non-imposed” forward-looking solution — was “borne out by the spirit and letter” of the Pact for the Future. In this context, he highlighted his country’s support for the UNs role in the political process, which has “regrettably been hindered by Algeria, who refuses to re-engage”.
Noting that the Moroccan autonomy initiative proposes democratic local governance, he said that “this is not the case” for the Tindouf camp, where the population is “held hostage by an armed separatist group with the complicity of Algeria”. There, schools are replaced by training camps and indoctrination. He went on to point out the growing international support for Morocco’s initiative, with more than 100 Member States and 2 permanent Security Council members recognizing it as a “as the only credible way forward”.
Chad’s delegate added that Morocco has made great investments in the region. He also welcomed the ongoing efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to advance the political process and called for resumption of round tables between all stakeholders. Further, he welcomed the opening of consulates by African, Arab and Asian countries in Dakhla and Al Layoune.
However, said Algeria’s representative, the consulates’ opening cannot replace the self-determination of a people under colonial occupation. The destiny of an entire people cannot be decided by anyone other than they themselves, he stressed. Describing Western Sahara as the biggest occupied territory in the world, he regretted that, though its decolonization has been on the United Nations agenda for nearly 60 years, its people continue to experience “nothing but exile and oppression”.
Turning to the legal foundations of that question, he cited the “historic” and “unappealable” 4 October European Court of Justice ruling concerning the trade deals between the European Union and Morocco. The ruling confirmed that the territory of Western Sahara is distinct from that of Morocco and that Frente POLISARIO should be the primary interlocutor for the Territory, he said.
The Committee also heard several rights of reply relevant to topics raised during today's debate. Such interventions were delivered by the representatives of the United Kingdom, Algeria, Argentina and Morocco.