12 November 2020

U.N. FOURTH COMMITTEE APPROVES FOURTH INTERNATIONAL DECADE TO END CONTEMPORARY COLONIALISM

 The United Nations (U.N.) Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) adopted the recommendation of the Special Committee on Decolonization to convene the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (IDEC). The decision was made on 6th November 2020 at a meeting of the Fourth Committee at U.N. Headquarters in New York. Below is the text of the resolution which will be considered for final adoption by the full General Assembly in December.  

Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism

 

            The General Assembly,

    Recalling that 2020 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,[1]

    Recalling also its resolution 43/47 of 22 November 1988, by which it declared the period 1990–2000 the International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, resolution 55/146 of 8 December 2000, by which it declared the period 2001–2010 the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, and resolution 65/119 of 10 December 2010, by which it declared the period 2011–2020 the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism,

   Bearing in mind the recommendations contained in the Final Document of the Eighteenth Summit of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held in Baku on 25 and 26 October 2019,[2] including the renewal of the call to States Members of the United Nations to speed up the process of decolonization towards the complete elimination of colonialism, including by supporting the work and activities 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 and the effective implementation of the plan of action,[3]

   Recalling its resolution 74/113 of 13 December 2019, in which it recognized that the eradication of colonialism has been one of the priorities of the United Nations and continued to be one of its priorities for the decade that began in 2011, and reaffirmed its determination to continue to take all steps necessary to bring about the complete and speedy eradication of colonialism,

  Guided by the fundamental and universal principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights[4] and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,[5]

  Having examined the relevant reports of the Secretary-General concerning the implementation of the plans of action for the International Decades,[6]

   Taking into account the important contribution of the United Nations in the field of decolonization, in particular through the Special Committee,

          1.       Declares the period 2021–2030 the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism;

        2.     Calls upon Member States to intensify their efforts to continue to implement the plan of action for the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism[7] and to cooperate with the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in updating it as necessary, with a view to using it as the basis for a plan of action for the Fourth International Decade;

          3.      Calls upon the administering Powers to cooperate fully with the Special Committee to develop a constructive programme of work on a case-by-case basis for the Non-Self-Governing Territories to facilitate the implementation of the mandate of the Special Committee and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations on decolonization, including resolutions on specific Territories;

          4.   Invites Member States, the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations, actively to support and participate in the implementation of the plan of action during the Fourth International Decade;

         5.  Requests the Secretary-General to provide the resources necessary for the successful implementation of the plan of action;

          6.      Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its eightieth and eighty-fifth sessions on the implementation of the present resolution.


      [1] Resolution 1514 (XV).

      [2] See A/74/548, annex.

      [3] Ibid., paras. 87.1 and 87.5.

      [4] Resolution 217 A (III).

      [5] See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.

      [7] A/56/61, annex.

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