Blog
The Special Committee on Decolonization continue its two-week substantive session today, taking up the question of Western Sahara.
Decolonization
Meetings Coverage
GA/COL/3399
Several delegates and Western Sahara petitioners today urged the Special Committee on Decolonization to liberate the “last colony in Africa” through a self-determination referendum that includes independence as an option, while other speakers supported Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the most realistic solution for resolving the longstanding question.
Blog
The Special Committee on Decolonization will begin its two-week substantive session today. It will discuss dissemination of information on decolonization, information from the Non-Self-Governing Territories under its purview transmitted under Article 73 e of the UN Charter, the question of sending visiting and special missions to these Territories and the question of these Territories themselves. They: Gibraltar, Tokelau, American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, French Polynesia, Guam, Montserrat, New Caledonia, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States Virgin Islands.
Meetings Coverage
GA/COL/3398
Opening the main part of its 2026 session today, the Special Committee on Decolonization approved three draft resolutions on United Nations support for the world’s 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Press Release
SG/SM/23144
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the opening of the Caribbean Regional Seminar on Decolonization, in Managua today:
Background Release
GA/COL/3397
The Special Committee on Decolonization will hold the Caribbean Regional Seminar in Managua from 25 to 27 May within the framework of the fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2021-2030).
Noon Briefings
In Colombia, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), with its partners and the Government, launched the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. Nearly 7 million people need aid this year — roughly one in every eight Colombians — amid conflict between non-State armed groups, which is present in 60 per cent of Colombia’s municipalities.
Press Release
SG/SM/23019
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered by Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet, at the organizational meeting of the 2026 Session of the Special Committee on Decolonization, in New York today:
Meetings Coverage
GA/COL/3396
The United Nations Secretary-General warned today that the enduring legacy of colonialism — marked by entrenched economic exploitation, racism, inequality and exclusion from decision-making — continues to shape the realities of the world’s 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, calling for inclusive dialogue, youth leadership and urgent climate action to guide their future.
Press Release
SG/SM/22962
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, delivered by Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, to the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, in New York today: