MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands Government to Take Stronger Stance at UN Meeting in June
The Falkland Islands Government intend to take a, “stronger and more productive stance” at next month’s UN meeting in New York of the United Nations ‘Special Committee of 24’ on decolonisation.
In preparation for the June meeting, in mid May, Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Emma Edwards will visit Noumea in New Caledonia to attend a seminar organised by the United Nations (UN) committee. The purpose of the seminar is ‘an assessment of the decolonization process in today’s world’.
The seminar aims to cover three main areas. First, the role of the Special Committee in facilitating the decolonisation of the remaining ‘non-self-governing territories’ will be examined. (The definition of non-self-governing territories includes all those British Overseas Territories which have permanent populations, such as the Falkland Islands, St. Helena and Gibraltar.)
Second, delegates will consider the perspectives of the Special Committee, the various ‘administering powers’ and ‘territorial governments’, as well as the views of experts and civil society on what the Committee itself describes as “the resolution of the remaining challenges”.
Finally, the seminar will address the role of the United Nations system in providing developmental assistance to non-self-governing territories on the way forward.
The seminars are held annually but Falkland Islands Government does not always send a representative.
Miss Edwards stated, “This year, given the increasing prominence given to its territorial claims by Argentina, Members of Legislative Assembly felt that it was appropriate that the Falkland Islands Government’s stance be aired in the international arena as much as possible. Attendance at the seminar will give the Falkland Islands a greater insight into what the aims of the Committee of 24 are, enabling us to take a stronger and more productive stance at next month’s meeting in New York.
“It will also allow us to network with other territories in a similar position to ourselves, as well as meeting member countries of the Special Committee. It is important for the Falkland Islands to raise their profile on the international scene.”
The Honourable Gavin Short, MLA will also attend the annual meeting of the Special Committee of 24 in New York in June. Falkland Islands Government representatives have taken the opportunity to speak directly to the United Nations and refute the Argentine sovereignty claim to the Falkland Islands every year since 1987.
By Lisa Watson — SeAledPR — Stanley
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Read all commentsA tentative step towards independence?
May 11th, 2010 - 06:53 am 0They are, del facto, self-governing in free association with the UK (much like Niue is with New Zealand).
May 11th, 2010 - 09:03 am 0New Zealand acts on Niue's behalf with respect to defence and foreign affairs (it's difficult to man that many embassies with a population of under 1400). The only reason that they're still on the list with the UN Committee of 24 is the (dubious) soverignty claim from Argentina.
This has other international ramifications since the UK in these international forums are not speaking on the islanders behalf it thus give a degree of recognition that the islanders constitute a people who need to be allowed to argue their views on the international stage, the grape vine tells me that Argentina bitterly resisted every attempt for the Islanders to come forward before C-24 as a separate representative and argued that since they didn't a constitute only the UK could argue on their behalf a little known fact is that on this occasion Argentina was slapped down by C-24 and actually was reduced to begging the UK not to allow separate representatives from the Islands to argue their own case, as this would contradict their arguments that they were merely British colonists, but had a mediocme of peoplehood wholly different to the UK, Argentina refuses to argue face to face with the Islanders and a few years back the Falkland delegate cunningly walked in and stood beside Argentina's just before they were to deliver their respective arguements, the Argentine ran out...not walked...RAN! and refused to come back in the room....
May 11th, 2010 - 11:26 am 0pathetic eh? Thats one of several reasons why I have such a low opinion of states which make such irredentist claims ignoring the people who live there
But it remains the same that C-24 is finding itself harder and harder to justify each year, especially in a majority of these territories where there is no clamor to be an independent nation or part ties with the mother state... C-24 has never visited any of the territories in question, yet professes to know what is best for them?
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