U.N. Racism Committee again decries lack of information from U.N. decolonisation bodies on racism in non self-governing territories

Requests by the U.N. Anti-Racism Committee for information on the world's remaining colonies have been made for years. 

Excerpt 

Report 

of the 

Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

VIII. Consideration of copies of petitions, copies of reports and other information relating to trust and non-self-governing territories to which General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) applies, in conformity with article 15 of the Convention

62. Under article 15 of the Convention, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is empowered to consider copies of petitions, reports and other information relating to trust and non-self-governing territories and to all other territories to which General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) applies, as transmitted to it by the competent bodies of the United Nations, and to submit to the General Assembly its expressions of opinion and recommendations in this regard.

63. Accordingly, and at the request of the Committee, Mr. Kut examined the report of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples covering its work during and copies of the working papers on the 16 Territories prepared by the Secretariat for the Special Committee and the Trusteeship Council, listed in document CERD/C/83/3, and presented his report at the eighty-fourth session, on 20 February 2014. The Committee noted, as it has done in the past, that it was difficult to fulfil its functions comprehensively under article 15 of the Convention owing to the fact that the copies of the reports received pursuant to paragraph 2 (b) contain only scant information  directly relating to the principles and objectives of the Convention.

64. The Committee further noted that there was significant ethnic diversity in a number of the non-self-governing territories, warranting a close watch on incidents or trends which reflect racial 

discrimination and violation of rights guaranteed in the Convention. The Committee therefore stressed that greater efforts should be made to raise awareness concerning the principles and objectives of the Convention in non-self-governing territories. 

The Committee further stressed the need for States parties administering non self-governing territories to include details on the implementation of the Convention in these territories  in their periodic reports to the Committee.