Decolonization C24 Pacific Regional Seminar opens in Saint Lucia

Wednesday, May 11th 2022 - 09:40 UTC

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The seminar will be opened by St Lucia PM Philip J Pierre, and will also include a video message from UN Secretary-General

St Lucia Prime Minister Philip J Pierre, will this Wednesday 11th May, formally open a United Nations Seminar on Decolonization, which is to be held at the Sandals Grande Hotel until 13th May 2022.

The Pacific Regional Seminar is held under the auspices of the UN General Assembly’s Special Committee on Decolonization, commonly known as the C -24.

The seminar is held annually for the C-24 to obtain the views of the representatives of Non-Self Governing territories, Member States, members of civil society, and other stakeholders on policies that can assist the Special Committee in advancing the decolonization process.

The theme for the 2022 Seminar is “Advancement of the Non-Self-Governing Territories through the Coronavirus Disease (COVID 19) Pandemic and Beyond”.

It will be presided over by Ambassador Keisha Aniya McGuire, Grenada’s Permanent Representative to the UN and the current Chair of the Special Committee, C24.

There are seventeen Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGTs) under the purview of the Special Committee: American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, Guam, Montserrat, New Caledonia, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Tokelau, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands and Western Sahara.
The administering Powers are France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Approximately one hundred participants, comprising Special Committee Members, other United Nations Member States, administering Powers, as well as representatives of the Non-Self Governing Territories, civil society, non-governmental organizations, experts, and regional organizations have registered for the Seminar.

In addition to the Address by Prime Minister Hon. Philip J Pierre, the seminar will include an address by the C-24 Chair, Ambassador McGuire, and a video message from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

St Lucia is a Caribbean nation island, north of Trinidad and Tobago, since 1814 British colony which in 1967 was granted self government and in 1979 independence. She is a member of the Commonwealth.