THE United States has called for the United Nations to abolish its Special Committee on Decolonisation – the body responsible for examining the status of territories including Gibraltar.
The White House said the committee had outlived its original purpose, criticising what it slammed as ‘repetitive meetings, unnecessary travel and a failure to adapt to changes in the decolonisation process’.
Washington’s position was set out during a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York last week, when its representative argued that the group had become ‘obsolete’.
The delegation pointed out that more than 80 former colonies have become independent countries and joined the UN since the organisation was established.
They argued that the committee had failed to adapt to these changes, instead opting to review the same issues year after year.
The US also questioned the amount of money spent on the committee’s activities, such as what it described as publicly-funded trips to Caribbean and South Pacific resorts.
American officials also highlighted the case of Puerto Rico, which was removed from the UN’s list of Non-Self-Governing Territories in 1953 but whose political status continues to be a point of discussion at annual committee meetings.
The delegation said that people living in the remaining territories should not be used as instruments in political campaigns.
The list also includes Anguilla, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, Montserrat, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, the Falkland Islands, Western Sahara and several other territories.
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The Special Committee on Decolonisation, also known as the C-24, examines the political status of these territories and considers their progress towards self-government.
It also hears from representatives of the territories and makes recommendations to the UN General Assembly.
Gibraltar has been on the list since 1946.
The British Overseas Territory’s inclusion remains a long-running point of contention, with the Rock’s government calling for its removal and defending the right of Gibraltarians to determine their own future.
The United States’ proposal challenges the continued existence of the committee itself, rather than targeting Gibraltar specifically.
It remains unclear what support the proposal has among other UN member states or whether it will lead to any changes to the committee’s mandate.
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