United Nations list of non-self-governing territories explained

Number:66 (I)
Organ:GA
Date:14 December
Year:1946
Meeting:Sixty fourth
Code:A/RES/66(1)
Document:https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/66%28I%29&Lang=E&Area=RESOLUTION
Subject:Transmission of information under Article 73e of the Charter [relating to non-self-governing territories]
Result:Adopted

Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter defines a non-self-governing territory (NSGT) as a territory "whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government". Chapter XI of the UN Charter also includes a "Declaration on Non-Self-Governing Territories" that the interests of the occupants of dependent territories are paramount and requires member states of the United Nations in control of such territories to submit annual information reports concerning the development of those territories. Since 1946, the UNGA has maintained a list of non-self governing territories under member states' control. Since its inception, dozens of territories have been removed from the list, typically when they attained independence or internal self-government, while other territories have been added as new administering countries joined the United Nations or the UN General Assembly (UNGA) reassessed their status.

Since 1961 the list has been maintained by the Special Committee on Decolonization.

History

Chapter XI of the UN Charter contains a Declaration Concerning Non-Self-Governing Territories.[1] Article 73(e) requires UN member states to report to the United Nations annually on the development of NSGTs under their control. From the initial reports provided by eight member states (Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States), a list was compiled in 1946 listing 72 NSGTs.[2] In several instances, administering states were later allowed to remove dependent territories from the list, either unilaterally (as in the case of French overseas territories such as French Polynesia),[3] [4] or by a vote of the General Assembly (as in the cases of Puerto Rico, Greenland, the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname).

The list draws its origins from the period of colonialism and the Charter's concept of non-self-governing territories. As an increasing number of formerly colonized countries became UN members, the General Assembly increasingly asserted its authority to place additional territories on the list and repeatedly declared that only the General Assembly had the authority to authorize a territory's being removed from the list upon attainment of any status other than full independence. For example, when Portugal joined the United Nations it contended that it did not control any non-self-governing territory, claiming that areas such as Angola and Mozambique were an integral part of the Portuguese state, but the General Assembly rejected this position. Similarly, Western Sahara was added in 1963 when it was a Spanish colony. As with Namibia, which was seen, due to its former status as a League of Nations mandate territory, as a vestige of German colonial legacy in Africa, until it was removed in 1990 upon its independence. 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.[5] 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 reviews the situation in non-self-governing territories each year and reports to the General Assembly. A revised list in 1963 listed 64 NSGTs.

Resolutions adopted

1946

1947

1960

1961

1966

1990–2000

2001–2010

2011–present

Criticism

The list remains controversial in some countries for various reasons:

Referendums

One reason for controversy is that the list includes some dependencies that have democratically chosen to maintain their current status, or have had a referendum in which local government requirements were not met regarding the number of votes required to support a change of status or the number of voters participating (e.g., in the United States Virgin Islands).

Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands is a British Overseas Territory with a population of 4,000 people and an autonomous government, that is also claimed by Argentina due to an inherited historical colonial claim to the islands by Spain. In March 2013, the Falkland Islands government organised a referendum on the status of the territory. With a 92% turnout, 99.7% of Falkland Islands voters voted to maintain the status quo, with only three islanders (0.2%) favouring a change.[10]

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is largely a self-governing British territory on the tip of the Iberian Peninsula with a population of about 30,000 people, whose territory is claimed by Spain. It continues to be listed as an NSGT though its residents expressed a preference in two referendums to retain the status quo. In 1967, they were asked whether to retain their current status or to become part of Spain. The status quo was favoured by 12,138 votes to 44. In 2002, a proposal for a joint British–Spanish administration of the territory was voted down by 17,900 votes to 187. (The "no" vote accounted for more than 85% of Gibraltar's entire electorate).[11] The United Nations did not recognise either referendum, with the 1967 referendum being declared in contravention of previous UN resolutions.[12] The Spanish government does not recognize any right of the current Gibraltar inhabitants to self-determination, on the grounds that they are not the original population of the territory, but residents transferred by the colonial power, the United Kingdom.[13]

Tokelau

The territory of Tokelau divides political opinion in New Zealand.[14] In response to attempts at decolonizing Tokelau, New Zealand journalist Michael Field wrote in 2004: "The UN ... is anxious to rid the world of the last remaining vestiges of colonialism by the end of the decade. It has a list of 16 territories around the world, virtually none of which wants to be independent to any degree."[15] Field further notes that Patuki Isaako, who was head of Tokelau's government at the time of a UN seminar on decolonization in 2004, informed the United Nations that his country had no wish to be decolonized, and that Tokelauans had opposed the idea of decolonization ever since the first visit by UN officials in 1976.

In 2006, a UN-supervised referendum on decolonization was held in Tokelau, where 60.07% of voters supported the offer of self-government. However, the terms of the referendum required a two-thirds majority to vote in favor of self-government. A second referendum was held in 2007, in which 64.40% of Tokelauans supported self-government, falling short of the two-thirds majority by 16 votes. This led New Zealand politician and former diplomat John Hayes, on behalf of the National Party, to state that "Tokelau did the right thing to resist pressure from [the New Zealand government] and the United Nations to pursue self-government".[16] In May 2008, the United Nations' Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged colonial powers "to complete the decolonization process in every one of the remaining 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories".[17] This led the New Zealand Herald to comment that the United Nations was "apparently frustrated by two failed attempts to get Tokelau to vote for independence from New Zealand".[18]

Viability

A lack of population and landmass is an issue for at least one territory included on the list: the British overseas territory Pitcairn Islands, which has a population of less than 50 descended primarily from indigenous Polynesians and mutineers from HMS Bounty. Regardless, the territory's colonial status was disputed during the 2004 sexual assault trial where the seven defendants – comprising a third of the adult male population – unsuccessfully argued that the islanders had rejected British control ever since the 1789 mutiny and, as a result, British criminal law did not apply to them. Four other territories – Tokelau, Montserrat, the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena – are also less populous than any current UN member state.

In addition, some territories are financially dependent on their administering state.

Completely autonomous dependencies

Another criticism is that a number of the listed territories, such as Bermuda (see Politics of Bermuda), the Falkland Islands[19] and Gibraltar,[20] [21] [22] [23] consider themselves completely autonomous and self-governing, with the "administering power" retaining limited oversight over matters such as defence and diplomacy. In past years, there were ongoing disputes between some administering powers and the Decolonization Committee over whether territories such as pre-independence Brunei and the West Indies Associated States should still be considered "non-self-governing", particularly in instances where the administering country was prepared to grant full independence whenever the territory requested it. These disputes became moot as those territories eventually received full independence.

Removed under other circumstances

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, often under pressure of the administering countries.

Some territories that have been annexed and incorporated into the legal framework of the controlling state (such as the overseas regions of France, and the U.S. states of Alaska and Hawaii) are considered by the UN to have been decolonized, since they then no longer constitute "non-self-governing" entities; their populations are assumed to have agreed to merge with the former parent state. However, in 1961, the General Assembly voted to end this treatment for the "overseas provinces" of Portugal such as Angola and Mozambique, which were active focus of United Nations attention until they attained independence in the mid-1970s.

Territories have also been removed for other reasons. In 1972, for example, 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. This was due to the PRC's belief that their presence on the list implied eventual independence of the territory, instead of their status being handled by bilateral negotiations.

Change of status

On 2 December 1986, New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France, was reinstated on the list of non-self-governing territories, an action to which France objected. Within France it has had the status of a collectivité sui generis, or a one-of-a-kind community, since 1999. Under the 1998 Nouméa Accord, its Territorial Congress had the right to call for three referendums on independence between 2014 and 2018. The first referendum was held on 4 November 2018 (56.4% against independence), the second referendum on 4 October 2020 (53.26% against independence), and the third referendum on 12 December 2021 (96.50% against independence). While in all three the independence was rejected, the result of the third referendum stems from the boycott by the pro-independence Kanak community in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Caledonia.

French Polynesia was also reinstated on the list on 17 May 2013, in somewhat contentious circumstances. Having been re-elected President of French Polynesia in 2011 (leader of local government), Oscar Temaru asked for it to be re-inscribed on the list; it had been removed in 1947. (French Polynesia is categorised by France as an overseas country, in recognition of its self-governing status.) During the year 2012, Oscar Temaru engaged in intense lobbying with the micro-states of Oceania, many of which, the Solomon Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu, submitted to the UN General Assembly a draft of a resolution to affirm "the inalienable right of the population of French Polynesia to self-determination and independence".

On 5 May 2013, Temaru's Union for Democracy party lost the legislative election to Gaston Flosse's pro-autonomy but anti-independence Tahoera'a Huiraatira party; obtaining only 11 seats against the party of Gaston Flosse, with 38 seats, and the autonomist party A Ti'a Porinetia with 8 seats.

At this stage, the United Nations General Assembly was due to discuss French Polynesia's re-inscription on the list twelve days later, in accordance with a motion tabled by Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Nauru. On 16 May, the Assembly of French Polynesia, with its new anti-independence majority, adopted a motion asking the United Nations not to restore the country to the list. On 17 May, despite French Polynesia's and France's opposition, the country was restored to the list of non-self-governing territories. Temaru was present for the vote, on the final day of his mandate as President. The United Nations affirmed "the inalienable right of the people of French Polynesia to self-determination and independence".

A few hours before the UN review of the resolution, during its first meeting, the new Territorial Assembly adopted by 46 votes to 10 a "resolution" expressing the desire of Polynesians to maintain their autonomy within the French Republic. In spite of this resolution adopted by the parties representing 70% of the Polynesian voters, the UN General Assembly inscribed French Polynesia on the list of the territories to be decolonized during its plenary assembly of 17 May 2013. France did not take part in this session while the United States, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom disassociated themselves from this resolution.[24] [25]

List not complete

See main article: Special Committee on Decolonization and Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. Also controversial are the criteria set down in 1960 to 1961 by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV),[26] United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV), Principle 12 of the Annex,[27] and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1654 (XVI)[28] which only focused on colonies of the Western world, namely Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This list of administering states was not expanded afterwards.[29]

Nevertheless, some of the 111 members who joined the UN after 1960 gained independence from countries not covered by Resolution 1541 and were themselves not classified as "Non-Self-Governing Territories" by the UN. Of these that joined the UN between 1960 and 2008, 11 were independent before 1960 and 71 were included on the list (some as a group). Twenty new UN countries resulted from breakup of Second World states and of Yugoslavia: six were part of Yugoslavia, two were part of Czechoslovakia, and 12 were part of the Soviet Union (Ukraine and Belarus already had UN seats before the dissolution of the USSR, whose seat was reused by the Russian Federation without acceding anew). Out of the other ten, seven (mostly Arab) were colonies or protectorates of the "Western" countries, and one each was a non-self-governing part of Ethiopia (later independent Eritrea), Pakistan (East Pakistan, later independent Bangladesh) and Sudan (later independent South Sudan). Territories like Tibet, the Xinjiang Uygur Region (administered by China) and Siberia (or parts thereof; administered by the Soviet Union, later by Russia) have never been on the list. Also, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), which considered themselves illegally occupied by the Soviet Union, were not on the list either. Western New Guinea (also known as West Papua), which was ceded to Indonesia, is also not on the list as well as Sarawak and Sabah, which were handed to Malaya during its territorial expansion through the formation of Malaysia in 1963. In 2018, the government of Vanuatu started seeking international support to have West Papua added to the list in 2019.[30] [31]

After the revocation of Norfolk Island's self-governing status by the Australian government in 2015, an island community group requested the UN add the island to the list of non-self-governing territories.[32]

Current entries

The following 17 territories are currently included in the list.[33]

Overview of Non-self-governing territories
TerritoryAdministering stateDomestic legal statusOther claimant(s)PopulationAreaReferendum(s)See also
Unincorporated unorganized territory55,519200km2No official referendum has been held.Politics of American Samoa
Overseas territory14,10896km2No official referendum has been held.Politics of Anguilla
Overseas territory62,00057km2A 1995 Bermudian independence referendum was held. 74% of votes cast were against independence.[34] Politics of Bermuda
Overseas territory28,103153km2No official referendum has been held.Politics of the British Virgin Islands
Overseas territory55,500264km2No official referendum has been held.Foreign relations of the Cayman Islands
Overseas territory2,50012173km2Two referendums have been held in 1986 and 2013 on whether the Falklands should join Argentina. On both occasions, voters overwhelmingly chose continued British control.[35] [36] Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute
Overseas country271,0004000km2No official referendum has been held.Politics of French Polynesia
Overseas territory29,7526km2There were referendums in 1967 and in 2002, both returning an overwhelming victory for the pro-British side.[37] [38] Status of Gibraltar
Unincorporated organized territory159,358540km2Three status referendums have been held, one in 1976[39] and two in 1982 (one in January[40] and the other in September[41]), with all three of them supporting an improved Commonwealth status under U.S. control.Politics of Guam
Overseas territory5,000103km2No official referendum has been held.Government of Montserrat
Sui generis collectivity252,00018575km2There were referendums in 1987,[42] 2018,[43] 2020,[44] and 2021,[45] all deciding against independence.Politics of New Caledonia
Overseas territory5036km2No official referendum has been held.Politics of the Pitcairn Islands
Overseas territory5,396310km2No official referendum has been held.Politics of Saint Helena
Territory1,41112km2There were two referendums on self-determination in Tokelau in 2006 and 2007, with both coming just shy of the required two-thirds "yes" margin.[46] [47] Politics of Tokelau
Overseas territory31,458948km2No official referendum has been held.Politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands
Unincorporated organized territory106,405352km2A 1993 United States Virgin Islands status referendum was held. The status quo was widely preferred among voters, but the result was invalidated because of the low turnout.[48] Politics of the United States Virgin Islands
Western Sahara
(de jure, but not de facto)
Disputed619,060266000km2The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara has attempted to organize a referendum since 1991, but none has been held so far.[49] Political status of Western Sahara

Notes

Former entries

The following territories were originally listed by UN General Assembly Resolution 66 (I) of 14 December 1946 as Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territory. The dates show the year of independence or other change in a territory's status which led to their removal from the list,[50] after which information was no longer submitted to the United Nations.

Change in status by administering state

Overview of non-self-governing territories that had a change in status
Trust / Territory[51] Change in statusCurrent statusAdministering statePopulationArea / kmArea / midata-sort-type="number" Year removedSee also
Granted statehood (full integration with the United States)U.S. state683,4781,700,130656,424data-sort-value=1959 1959Legal status of Alaska
Removed from the list on request of China[52] Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (since 1 July 1997):
United Kingdom7,018,6361,0924221972Politics of Hong Kong
Voted to integrate into AustraliaExternal territory of Australia5961451984Shire of Cocos
Gained self-ruleState in free association with New Zealand New Zealand12,271237921965Politics of the Cook Islands
Granted more autonomydata-sort-value="Suriname" 475,996163,27063,0391955Politics of Suriname
Became an overseas department (full integration with the French Republic)Overseas department and region of France209,00083,53432,2531947Politics of French Guiana
(later reinstated)[53] Became an overseas territory (semi-autonomous collectivity of the French Republic)Overseas country of France:


Overseas state private property of France:
Clipperton Island
298,2564,4411,7151947Politics of French Polynesia
Incorporated into Denmark as Greenland County (1953). Gained home rule as a Country within the Kingdom of Denmark (1979). Increased autonomy (2009)Autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark[54] [55] Denmark57,5642,166,086836,3301954Politics of Greenland
Became an overseas department (full integration with the French Republic)Overseas department and region of France:


Overseas collectivities of France:

Saint Martin
408,0001,6286291947Politics of Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Martin
Granted statehood (full integration with the United States)U.S. state1,283,38828,31110,9311959Legal status of Hawaii
Became an overseas department (full integration with the French Republic)Overseas department and region of France401,0001,1284361947Politics of Martinique
Granted more autonomyConstituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands:




Special municipalities of the Netherlands:


225,3699603711955Politics of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Netherlands Antilles
(later reinstated)[56] Became an overseas territory (semi-autonomous collectivity of the French Republic)Sui generis collectivity of France

Overseas collectivity of France:
224,82419,0607,3591947Politics of New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna
Gained self-ruleState in free association with New Zealand New Zealand1,4442601001974Politics of Niue
Became a CommonwealthUnincorporated territory of the United States with Commonwealth status53,883168651990Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands
Removed from the list on request of PanamaPart of Colón, Panamá, and Panamá Oeste provinces of Panama1947Politics of Panama
Portuguese MacauRemoved from the list on request of ChinaSpecial Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (since 20 December 1999):
545,67428111972Politics of Macau
Became a Commonwealth (semi-autonomous unincorporated territory of the United States)Unincorporated territory of the United States with Commonwealth status3,958,1288,8703,4201952Political status of Puerto Rico
Became an overseas department (full integration with the French Republic)Overseas department and region of France868,0002,5129701947Politics of Réunion
Became an overseas department and then an overseas territory (semi-autonomous collectivity of the French Republic)Overseas collectivity of France7,044242931947Politics of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Joined another state

Overview of non-self-governing territories that joined another state
Non-self-governing territoryState joinedCurrent statusAdministering statePopulationAreaYear removedSee also
British CameroonsNorthern Cameroons joined Nigeria
Southern Cameroons joined Cameroon
Adamawa, Borno and Taraba states of Nigeria, Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon1961Politics of Nigeria
Politics of Cameroon
IfniIntegrated into MoroccoSidi Ifni, Guelmim-Oued Noun, Morocco51,5171502km21969Politics of Morocco
Annexed by IndiaThe Indian state of Goa and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu1961Annexation of Goa
French IndiaIntegrated into IndiaPuducherry union territory and Chandannagar of West Bengal state of India973,829492km21947Coup d'état of Yanaon
Integrated into Indonesia as Irian JayaPapua and West Papua provinces of Indonesia420540km21963Act of Free Choice
North BorneoJoined with Malaya to form MalaysiaMalaysian state of Sabah and the federal territory of Labuan285,00076115km21963Malaysia Agreement[57]
São João Batista de AjudaIntegrated into the Republic of Dahomey (now Benin)Ouidah commune, Atlantique department, Benin1961Politics of Benin
Colony of SarawakJoined with Malaya to form MalaysiaMalaysian state of Sarawak546,385124450km21963Malaysia Agreement
British TogolandJoined British Gold Coast colonyVolta, Northern and Upper East regions of Ghana1957Foreign relations of Ghana

Independence

Overview of non-self-governing territories that gained independence
Non-self-governing territorySub-unitIndependent asAdministering statePopulationAreaYear removedSee also
Aden Protectoratedata-sort-value="South Yemen" 285192km21967Yemeni unification in 1990
data-sort-value="Angola" Angola7,024,000[58] 1246700km21975Including the enclave of Cabinda
Antiguadata-sort-value="Antigua" 1981
data-sort-value="Bahamas" 13878km21973
data-sort-value="Barbados" 431km21966
Basutolanddata-sort-value="Lesotho" 30355km21966
data-sort-value="Botswana" 1966
data-sort-value="Brunei" 5,7652220km21984
French Cameroundata-sort-value="Cameroon" 1960Trust Territory
data-sort-value="Cape Verde" 4033km21975
data-sort-value="Congo Leopoldville" Congo Léopoldville16,610,000[59] 2344858km21960
British Cyprusdata-sort-value="Cyprus" 9251km21960
data-sort-value="Indonesia" (excluding Western New Guinea)1950
East Timordata-sort-value="East Timor" 688,71115007km22002Politics of East Timor
Portuguese Timordata-sort-value="East Timor" 15007km22002Indonesian occupation of East Timor
French Congodata-sort-value="Congo" 1960
French Gabondata-sort-value="Gabon" 1960
Ubangi Sharidata-sort-value="Central African Republic" 1960
French Chaddata-sort-value="Chad" 1960
Fiji Islandsdata-sort-value="Fiji" 1970
Gambia Colony and Protectoratedata-sort-value="Gambia" 10380km21965
Gilbert Islandsdata-sort-value="Kiribati" 1979
Tuvalu (Ellice Islands)data-sort-value="Tuvalu" 1978
data-sort-value="Ghana" 1957
data-sort-value="Guyana" 1966
data-sort-value="Guinea-Bissau" 36125km21974
data-sort-value="Equatorial Guinea" 28051km21968
data-sort-value="Belize" 145,000[60] 22966km21981
data-sort-value="Cambodia" French protectorate of Cambodiadata-sort-value="Cambodia" Cambodia1953
data-sort-value="Laos" French protectorate of Laosdata-sort-value="Laos" 1949
data-sort-value="Indochina" Democratic Republic of Vietnam1945Vietnamese unification in 1976
data-sort-value="Indochina"
data-sort-value="Indochina" data-sort-value="Vietnam" State of Vietnam1949Vietnamese unification in 1976
Colony of Jamaicadata-sort-value="Jamaica" 11100km21962
Colony of Kenyadata-sort-value="Kenya" 1963Formed by the unification of the Colony of Kenya and the Kenya Protectorate
data-sort-value="Saint Christopher" data-sort-value="Saint Kitts" 1983Separated from Anguilla, which is still a non-self-governing territory
French Madagascardata-sort-value="Comoros" 1975
French Madagascardata-sort-value="Madagascar" 1960
data-sort-value="Malaya" 132,36451106km21957Later became Malaysia
Colony of Maltadata-sort-value="Malta" 316km21964
British Mauritiusdata-sort-value="Mauritius" 2040km21968
French protectorate of Moroccodata-sort-value="Morocco" 1956
data-sort-value="Mozambique" 7,300,000[61] 784955km21975
Trust Territory of Naurudata-sort-value="Nauru" 21km21968
data-sort-value="Vanuatu" Anglo-French Condominium100,000[62] 12189km21980
British Nigeriadata-sort-value="Nigeria" 1960
data-sort-value="Zambia" 3,545,200[63] 752618km21964
data-sort-value="Malawi" 752618km21964
data-sort-value="Marshall Islands" 68,000180km21990Independent states in free association with the United States
data-sort-value="Micronesia" 111,000702km21990Independent states in free association with the United States
data-sort-value="Palau" 20,956459km21994Independent states in free association with the United States
Territory of Papua and New Guineadata-sort-value="Papua New Guinea" 1975
Ruanda-Urundidata-sort-value="Burundi" 1962
Ruanda-Urundidata-sort-value="Rwanda" 1962
Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipedata-sort-value="Sao Tome and Principe" 1001km21975
data-sort-value="Seychelles" 451km21976
Sierra Leone Colony and Protectoratedata-sort-value="Sierra Leone" 71740km21961
Singaporedata-sort-value="Malaya" 4,608,167693km21963Singapore first became a state of Malaysia in 1963, before becoming independent in 1965.
British Solomon Islandsdata-sort-value="Solomon Islands" 28896km21978
data-sort-value="Somaliland" State of Somaliland1960Joined the Trust Territory of Somalia within a week to form the Somali Republic
data-sort-value="Djibouti" 200,000[64] 23200km21977
Trust Territory of Somalilanddata-sort-value="Somalia" 1960Joined the State of Somaliland to form the Somali Republic
South West Africadata-sort-value="Namibia" 2,088,669825418km21990Foreign relations of Namibia
data-sort-value="Zimbabwe" 6,930,000[65] 390580km21980
data-sort-value="Swaziland" 17364km21968
data-sort-value="Tanganyika" 1961Trust Territory. Later joined with the People's Republic of Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, now Tanzania
French Togolanddata-sort-value="Togo" 1960Trust Territory
data-sort-value="Trinidad" 5128km21962
French Tunisiadata-sort-value="Tunisia" 163610km21956
Uganda Protectoratedata-sort-value="Uganda" 1962
data-sort-value="Ivory Coast" 1960
data-sort-value="Mali" 1960
data-sort-value="Mauritania" 1960
French Guineadata-sort-value="Guinea" 1958
French Dahomeydata-sort-value="Dahomey" 1960
data-sort-value="Niger" Colony of Nigerdata-sort-value="Niger" 1960
data-sort-value="Niger" Colony of Nigerdata-sort-value="Senegal" 1960
data-sort-value="Niger" Colony of Nigerdata-sort-value="Upper Volta" 1960
Western Samoa Trust Territorydata-sort-value="Western Samoa" 1962
data-sort-value="Dominica" 1978
data-sort-value="Grenada" 1974
data-sort-value="Saint Lucia" 1979
data-sort-value="Saint Vincent" 1979
data-sort-value="Kenya" 1963The Dominion of Kenya was formed by the unification of the Colony of Kenya and the Protectorate of Kenya; the protectorate, a 10miles coastal strip (Mwambao), had been under Zanzibari sovereignty and administered by the UK[66]
data-sort-value="Zanzibar" 2643km21963The British protectorate over the Sultanate of Zanzibar was terminated in 1963 and the state was admitted to the UN; in 1964, the sultan was deposed and the People's Republic of Zanzibar was proclaimed; later that year, it joined with the Republic of Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, now Tanzania

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples . United Nations Treaty Collection . 18 October 2011.
  2. Web site: Nations . United . International Week of Non-Self-Governing Territories . 2020-08-05. United Nations. en.
  3. Gonschor. Lorenz. 2013. Mai te hau Roma ra te huru: The Illusion of "Autonomy" and the Ongoing Struggle for Decolonization in French Polynesia. The Contemporary Pacific. 25. 2. 260. 23725651. 1043-898X.
  4. Web site: French Polynesia Battles for Independence. 2020-08-05. thediplomat.com . en-US.
  5. i.e. extenuating circumstance, historical control, longstanding/stagnated issue, etc.
  6. https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/64(I) United Nations General Assembly Resolution 64(I)
  7. https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/66(I) United Nations General Assembly Resolution 66(I)
  8. Web site: UN Treaty Collection: International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights . 18 February 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222221017/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?mtdsg_no=IV-3&chapter=4&lang=en . 22 February 2014 . dead . dmy-all .
  9. Web site: UN Treaty Collection: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights . 14 February 2014 . 1 September 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100901184638/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-4&chapter=4&lang=en . dead .
  10. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21750909 "Falklands referendum: Voters choose to remain UK territory"
  11. News: Q&A: Gibraltar's referendum . 8 November 2002 . . 25 November 2011.
  12. News: Resolution 2353 . 19 December 1967 . . 28 September 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130818005914/http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/236/88/IMG/NR023688.pdf?OpenElement . 18 August 2013 .
  13. https://archive.org/details/selfdeterminatio00anto/page/209 Self-Determination of Peoples: A Legal Reappraisal
  14. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/election-2011/policies/7 Election 2011
  15. News: Tokelau wonders, 'What have we done wrong?' . Field . Michael . AFP . Pacific Islands Report . 2 June 2004 . 6 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071221175635/http://archives.pireport.org/archive/2004/june/06-02-fea.htm . 21 December 2007 . live.
  16. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0710/S00525.htm "Congratulations Tokelau"
  17. https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sgsm11568.doc.htm "Colonialism has no place in today's world," says Secretary General in message to Decolonization Seminar in Indonesia"
  18. News: Tokelau decolonisation high on agenda . 17 May 2008 . . . 25 November 2011.
  19. News: New Year begins with a new Constitution for the Falklands . MercoPress . 1 January 2009 . 9 July 2013.
  20. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmfaff/147/147i.pdf Parliament.uk
  21. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/1386334/Gibraltar-makes-plans-for-self-government.html Telegraph.co.uk
  22. Web site: Gibraltar . . 18 August 2009 . Gibraltar is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and is self-governing in all matters but defence..
  23. Web site: Laws of Gibraltar – On-line Service . Gibraltarlaws.gov.gi . 13 May 2011.
  24. http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=76104 "Tahiti assembly votes against UN decolonisation bid"
  25. http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2013/05/17/la-france-ne-participera-pas-au-vote-a-l-onu-sur-la-decolonisation-de-la-polynesie_3280743_823448.html "L'ONU adopte une résolution sur la décolonisation de la Polynésie française"
  26. http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/152/88/IMG/NR015288.pdf?OpenElement General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV)
  27. https://www.un.org/peace/etimor99/a1541xv.pdf General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV)
  28. http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/167/07/IMG/NR016707.pdf?OpenElement General Assembly Resolution 1654 (XVI)
  29. https://www.un.org/en/decolonization/nonselfgov.shtml United Nations Trusteeship Agreements or were listed by the General Assembly as Non-Self-Governing
  30. https://www.onepng.com/2018/09/vanuatu-will-continue-west-papua.html "Vanuatu will continue West Papua initiative"
  31. https://asiapacificreport.nz/2018/09/07/pacific-forum-backs-constructive-engagement-over-west-papua/ "Pacific Forum backs ‘constructive engagement’ over West Papua"
  32. Web site: Norfolk Island Amendment (Supreme Court) Bill 2020.
  33. Web site: Non-Self-Governing Territories . United Nations.
  34. Web site: 1995-08-17 . Bermudians vote to stay British . 2022-05-31 . The Independent . en.
  35. Web site: ch . Beat Müller, beat (at-sign) sudd (dot) . Falkland-Inseln, 2. April 1986 : Status -- [in German] ]. 2022-05-31 . www.sudd.ch . 2 April 1986 . en.
  36. News: 2013-03-12 . Falklands referendum: Voters choose to remain UK territory . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-05-31.
  37. Web site: correspondent . Terence Prittie, our diplomatic . 2018-09-11 . Gibraltar votes to remain with Britain – archive, 11 September 1967 . 2022-05-31 . the Guardian . en.
  38. Web site: 2002-11-08 . Gibraltar votes out joint rule with Spain . 2022-05-31 . the Guardian . en.
  39. Web site: ch . Beat Müller, beat (at-sign) sudd (dot) . Guam (USA), 4. September 1976 : Status -- [in German] ]. 2022-05-31 . www.sudd.ch . 4 September 1976 . en.
  40. Web site: ch . Beat Müller, beat (at-sign) sudd (dot) . Guam (USA), 30. Januar 1982 : Status -- [in German] ]. 2022-05-31 . www.sudd.ch . 30 January 1982 . en.
  41. Web site: ch . Beat Müller, beat (at-sign) sudd (dot) . Guam (USA), 4. September 1982 : Status (Stichentscheid) -- [in German] ]. 2022-05-31 . www.sudd.ch . 4 September 1982 . en.
  42. News: Markham . James M. . Times . Special To the New York . 1987-09-14 . New Caledonia Votes to Remain French Territory . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-05-31 . 0362-4331.
  43. News: 2018-11-04 . Vive la France: New Caledonia rejects independence in historic referendum . en-AU . ABC News . 2022-05-31.
  44. Web site: 2020-10-04 . New Caledonia rejects independence from France . 2022-05-31 . France 24 . en.
  45. Web site: 2021-12-11 . New Caledonia votes in tense final referendum on independence from France . 2022-05-31 . France 24 . en.
  46. Web site: 2006-05-14 . Beehive.govt.nz - Tokelau referendum does not produce a two thirds majority in favour of a change of status . 2022-05-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060514111427/http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=24941 . 14 May 2006 .
  47. Web site: Tokelau votes to remain dependent territory of New Zealand . 2022-05-31 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
  48. http://www.sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=vi011993 United States Virgin Islands, 11 October 1993: Status
  49. Web site: 2016-10-26 . Background . 2022-05-31 . MINURSO . en.
  50. Web site: United Nations General Assembly Resolution 66 (I) . 24 July 2022 . 1 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220601010823/https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2FRES%2F66%28I%29&Lang=E&Area=RESOLUTION . dead .
  51. https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en/history/former-trust-and-nsgts Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories (1945–2002)
  52. Book: Carroll, John M.. A Concise History of Hong Kong. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.. 2007. 176.
  53. The United Nations General Assembly voted to reinstate French Polynesia (former French Establishments in Oceania) to the list by General Assembly Resolution A/67/265 on 18 May 2013.
  54. http://www.um.dk/Publikationer/UM/English/FactsheetDenmark/Greenland/images/image_6-5pp6_1.jpg Infobox image
  55. Web site: JURIST | School of Law | University of Pittsburgh.
  56. https://web.archive.org/web/20170809232646/https://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/41/a41r041.htm New Caledonia was reinstated on the list in 1986 by the General Assembly Resolution No. A/RES/41/41
  57. See: The UK Statute Law Database: the Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom Malaysia Act 1963
  58. 1967 estimate
  59. 1960 estimate
  60. 1980 estimate, see: British Honduras#Demographics
  61. 1967 estimate
  62. 1976 estimate
  63. 1963 estimate, see: Northern Rhodesia#Demographics
  64. 1963 estimate
  65. 1978 estimate
  66. "Agreement between the government of the United Kingdom, His Highness the Sultan of Zanzibar, the government of Kenya and the government of Zanzibar", London, 8 October 1963