<\/p>\n
04 October 2024<\/p>\n
Seventy-ninth Session,
\n2nd Meeting (AM)<\/p>\n
(Excerpt)<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt is unacceptable to prolong the decolonization processes of the 17 existing Non-Self-Governing Territories,\u201d Costa Rica\u2019s delegate said today as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its general debate on decolonization and related agenda items.<\/p>\n The representative added that these Territories represent generations of Indigenous Peoples whose inalienable right to self-determination and the exercise of their sovereignty is \u201cdiminished by our delay\u201d. In that vein, several speakers urged delegations to remain steadfast in their commitment to decolonization.<\/p>\n In opening remarks, the President of the General Assembly, Phil\u00e9mon Yang (Cameroon), said that the Committee addresses some of the most pressing global challenges of our time. These include decolonization, the review of peacekeeping and special political missions and, increasingly, issues related to the exploration of outer space. \u201cWe must approach this work with clear, focused and innovative solutions, building on the spirit of the Pact for the Future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Noting that since the last session, conflicts around the world have spread and intensified \u2014 from Gaza and Haiti to Lebanon, Sudan and Ukraine \u2014 he emphasized that the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East underscores the vital work of this Committee. \u201cDiplomatic solutions must take precedence over brutal force,\u201d he stressed, calling for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon and for all hostages to be freed immediately and unharmed.<\/p>\n Highlighting the Committee\u2019s crucial role in supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), he emphasized that millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria continue to struggle in the harshest of circumstances. Only a two-State solution, based on relevant UN resolutions, can guarantee lasting peace and security for both the people of Israel and Palestine and for the rest of the region, he asserted. \u201cTogether, we can address the challenges before us and make meaningful progress towards our shared goals,\u201d he told delegates.<\/p>\n \/…<\/p>\n Speaking from the perspective of a former colony, the representative of South Africa voiced disappointment that 79\u00a0years after the establishment of the UN, many people, including those in Western Sahara and Palestine, \u201care yet to exercise their right to self-determination\u201d.\u00a0 He said \u201cthe existence of colonialism and occupation in any form is inconsistent with both the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights\u201d.\u00a0 His country supports the Sahrawi people.\u00a0 Turning to the situation in the Middle East, he warned that the ongoing war must not overshadow the quest of the Palestinian people for their statehood.<\/p>\n \/…<\/p>\n With the decolonization debate taking place against the background of the deepening Middle East crisis, several delegates highlighted the mass killing of civilians in Gaza and Lebanon and reiterated the importance of the two-State solution.\u00a0 The representative of Iraq said, \u201cthese crimes are shameful and they show the barbarity and aggression of the occupation forces\u201d.\u00a0 Palestine must be admitted to the United Nations as a Member State.\u00a0 The Palestinian cause is a priority of Saudi Arabia\u2019s foreign policy, that country\u2019s delegate said, condemning Israel\u2019s killings, bombings and use of hunger as a weapon against defenceless Palestinians.\u00a0 Bangladesh\u2019s delegate also expressed concern about the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel, and reaffirmed support for an independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, under a two-State solution based on pre\u20111967 borders.<\/p>\n The representative of Bahrain urged a comprehensive ceasefire as did the representative of the United Arab Emirates who also stressed the importance of the release of all hostages and prisoners. Calling on Iran to \u201cimmediately end its occupation of the three UAE islands of Greater Tonb, Lesser Tonb and Abu Musa\u201d, he said his country will spare no efforts to peacefully defend its claims.<\/p>\n \/…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 04 October 2024 Seventy-ninth Session, 2nd Meeting (AM) (Excerpt) \u201cIt is unacceptable to prolong the decolonization processes of the 17 existing Non-Self-Governing Territories,\u201d Costa Rica\u2019s delegate said today as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its general debate on decolonization and related agenda items. The representative added that these Territories represent generations […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329],"document-source":[5618],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1769,2005,1741,1749],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-302109","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-source-general-assembly-fourth-committee-special-political-and-decolonization","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-palestine-question","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/302109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/302109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":302120,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/302109\/revisions\/302120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=302109"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=302109"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=302109"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=302109"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=302109"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=302109"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=302109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}