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( United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories)
The United Nations maintains a list of territories that do not govern themselves. The list was initially prepared in 1946 pursuant to Article XI of the United Nations Charter, and has been updated since then by the General Assembly on recommendation of the Special Committee on Decolonization and its predecessors. This list is called the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. Only permanently inhabited territories are considered for inclusion in this list. The list is one that draws its origins from the period of colonialism and the Charter's concept of non-self-governing territories. Thus, Western Sahara was initially included in 1963 by Moroccan demand when it was a Spanish colony. The same can be said about the situation of Namibia (removed upon its independence in 1990), which was seen, due to its former status as a mandate territory, as a vestige of German colonial legacy in Africa. A set of criteria for determining whether a territory is to be considered "non-self-governing" was established in General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV) of 1960. These criteria have faced criticism from many activists, most notable of which are pro-Tibetan activists. Also in 1960, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 1514 (XV), promulgating the "Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples", which declared that all remaining non-self-governing territories and trust territories were entitled to self-determination and independence. The following year, the General Assembly established the Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (sometimes referred to as the Special Committee on Decolonization, or the "Committee of 24" because for much of its history the committee was composed of 24 members), which generally reviews the situation in each non-self-governing territory each year and reports to the General Assembly. The list remains controversial. One reason for this is the fact that it includes many dependencies that, many contend, have democratically elected to maintain their territorial status, and rejected independence (or in some cases the parent state periodically organizes referenda, as in the United States Virgin Islands, but there is insufficient voter interest), while other non-self-determining areas (most of the French overseas territories) are excluded. Another is that a number of the listed territories, such as Bermuda, also consider themselves completely autonomous and self-governing, with the "administering Power" retaining a limited number of responsibilities such as defence and diplomacy. On the other hand, other territories that have achieved a status described by the administering countries as internally self-governing—such as Puerto Rico, the Netherlands Antilles and the Cook Islands—have been removed from the list by vote of the General Assembly. In 1972, Hong Kong (then administered by the United Kingdom) and Macau (then administered by Portugal) were removed from the list at the request of the People's Republic of China, which had just been recognized as holding China's seat at the United Nations. Many critics charge the Committee that drafts this list with using it as a largely political instrument.
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