Calls for U.N. to utilise self-governance indicators developed in the region to assess level of decolonisation implementation
"CARICOM regards the natural political evolution of the Caribbean non
self-governing territories as part of its core interests. It is fundamental to
redressing the effects of artificial borders in our region established on the
whims of colonial arrangements with roots in the Trans Atlantic slave trade."
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STATEMENT
by
H.E. Rodney Charles
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative
of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
On behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
on Decolonisation Issues
in the Fourth Committee
of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
October 10, 2013
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I have the honour to speak on
behalf of the 14 member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). We wish to
congratulate you and the other members of the bureau on being elected to lead
the important work of this committee for the 68th Session. CARICOM
wishes to associate itself with the statement made by the Permanent
Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran on behalf of the Non Aligned
Movement (NAM).
Mr. Chairman,
Issues of self-determination and
decolonisation resonate deeply with CARICOM States as we acknowledge the
historic role played by the United Nations in the self-determination process of
our region. Thus, we take note that decolonisation remains un-finished business
of the United Nations in this second decade of the 21st Century, and
the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. The
obligations to develop full self-government for these territories are clearly
set forth in Chapter XI of the U.N. Charter, and decolonisation resolutions
provide an essential roadmap in carrying out this statutory mandate.
Mr. Chairman,
This Committee hears the
petitions before it each year regarding ‘democratic deficiencies’ of present
dependency arrangements, as we seek ways and means to implement the mandate for
full and complete decolonisation for the remaining 17 non self-governing
territories. We recognise that full self-government would be significantly
advanced through the resumption of formal cooperation between the administering
powers and the Special Committee on Decolonisation. It is time for the existent
informal dialogue evolves into a formal, open and transparent discussion among
the parties. The five CARICOM Member States on the Special Committee on Decolonisation
are therefore prepared to facilitate such a resumed dialogue especially as it
relates to the territories of our region.
Additionally, CARICOM maintains
its principled support for the right of the people of Western Sahara, as with
all peoples in non-self-governing territories, to self-determination and
commends the efforts being undertaken by the Personal Envoy of the
Secretary-General in this area.
Mr. Chairman, experience must now also be brought to bear on our
legislative and policy frameworks for solutions to this lingering challenge to
the fullest enjoyment of human rights. Decades of decolonization point to
irrefutable lessons. The United Nations, given its pivotal, leadership and preparatory
roles, must refine approaches as well as facilitate and supportive mechanisms,
to minimize persisting negative historic legacies of colonialism, such as
ethnic tensions, artificial borders, and economic and other exploitation. In
other words, such strategic responses must be an essential part of the
self-determination ‘delivery package’.
Adequate follow-up by the United
Nations system is equally vital to facilitating decolonisation implementation
rather than the "repetition of process" which has characterised the
consideration of this agenda item. To this end, the method of work of the
relevant decolonisation committees should be re-examined with the aim of having
a more interactive dialogue. Requisite
political analysis of the dependency arrangements is also critical, but
longstanding calls for analytical studies and case-by-case assessments of the
territories, as contained in General Assembly resolutions, have not been
completed. Yet, this could significantly advance the awareness of member States
about the challenges to the contemporary self-determination process.
CARICOM has long maintained that
a Special Rapporteur or Independent Expert on decolonisation would be most
useful in this necessary substantive analysis, along with an active programme
of collaboration between the U.N. system and relevant regional institutions. In
this connection, the development of Self-Governance Indicators for the
small island non self-governing territories, presented at the University of the
West Indies in Jamaica in 2011, has become a useful tool in assessing the level
of self-government in small island territories in the Caribbean and
Pacific. The ongoing collaboration with
the U.N. regional commissions and some specialised agencies has proven
especially useful for the capacity building of the territories which are part
of the scope of work of a number of U.N. bodies. Decolonisation requires such
innovative measures if we are to avoid the "repetition of process"
which finds the General Assembly adopting decolonisation resolutions year after
year with insufficient implementation.
Mr. Chairman,
CARICOM
regards the natural political evolution of the Caribbean non self-governing
territories as part of its core interests. It is fundamental to redressing the
effects of artificial borders in our region established on the whims of
colonial arrangements with roots in the Trans Atlantic slave trade. The GRULAC
(Latin American and Caribbean Group) statement to the General Assembly last
March on the International Day of Remembrance
of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade reminded
that "emancipation ushered in the era of
colonialism which, in many respects, merely perpetuated a refined form of what
had formerly prevailed." Thus, we repeat: the decolonisation process is by no
means complete.
Accordingly, CARICOM member states continue to include
most of the Caribbean territories in the regional integration process through
the extension of associate membership. A similar status is provided in the
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) for those territories in that
part of our region. Several territories share the Eastern Caribbean currency
with neighboring independent states. Most are members of the Caribbean
Development Bank, the University of the West Indies system and other CARICOM
institutions. All of this is indicative of the strong ties which bind the
people of our region. These ties strengthen our resolve to work assiduously to ensure
that the Caribbean territories and others similarly situated achieve the full
measure of self-governance pursuant to international law.
In a similar context, CARICOM actively supports the
participation of the territories in
relevant U.N. bodies as provided for in the rules of procedure of those
bodies. We commend UN-ECLAC, ESCAP, UNESCO and others for their flexibility in
this regard. We commend ECLAC through its Subregional Headquarters in Trinidad
and Tobago for its pioneering work in
this area, and encourage the intensification of their efforts. We also
express our appreciation to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for
providing technical assistance and expertise to these territories.
Mr. Chairman,
The political crisis precipitated by the three-year
suspension of elected government in the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2009 has
been the subject of particular concern to CARICOM at the highest political
level. At its 24th Inter-sessional Meeting last February, CARICOM Heads of
Government "noted with grave concern that, though the elections of
November 2012 had led to the restoration of representative government, the
overall state of political affairs remained less than desirable..." [1] The
Heads of Government also expressed further concern that the 2011 constitutional
order was viewed in the territory "as a mere by-law for the continuance
of direct rule under the pretext of representative democracy." [2]
At the subsequent Sixteenth meeting of the CARICOM Council
of Foreign and Community Relations in Trinidad and Tobago last May, the
decision was taken to field a Ministerial Fact-Finding Mission to the Turks and
Caicos Islands to gain a first-hand appreciation of the current situation. The
Mission, undertaken last June, was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
the Bahamas and comprised the Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Kitts and
Nevis, and the Special Envoy of the President of Haiti. Its report was
presented to the Thirty-fourth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government
last July.
The report examined issues in the Turks and Caicos related
to the Constitution and governance, the judicial system, and the economic and
social situation. Among the recommendations were the conduct of a referendum
for the people to express their views on the present dependency arrangement,
and an investigation on the implications of the previous period of Direct Rule
and present dependency constitutional arrangements. The report affirmed that it
was the responsibility of the administering Power "to provide the means
for full self-determination," and to ensure that "the same standards
of democracy that obtain in the United Kingdom" should be extended in the
territory. The findings of the report
were endorsed by the Thirty-Fourth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads
of Government of CARICOM held in Trinidad and Tobago last July, and it is our
intention to have this report published as an official document of the General
Assembly for the information of member States.
Mr. Chairman,
It has long been established by the General Assembly that
self-determination is a fundamental human right. The status quo dependency
models in the small island dependencies, however complex or ‘modernised,’ have
proven inconsistent with the principle of self-determination, and contradictory
to democratic governance. The continuation of colonialism in any form in the
21st Century is anachronistic. While CARICOM welcomes internal constitutional
modernisation undertaken by the administering powers in some territories, such
reforms do not address the fundamental need for a legitimate process of
self-determination and subsequent decolonisation through the options of
political equality, namely independence, free association and integration with
full political rights consistent with Resolution 1541 (XV).
CARICOM states will continue their efforts through the
Decolonisation Committee, through regional institutions, and in consultation
with the relevant administering Powers, to address the challenges of the
contemporary colonial dynamic, and to work together to bring about absolute
political equality to the people of the remaining territories.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[1]
Communique issued at the conclusion
of the Twenty-fourth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM), Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, 18-19 February 2013.
