MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

First female Gibraltar minister addresses UN Decolonization Committee

Ms Arias Vasquez became the first Gibraltarian female political representative to address the UN C24 committee(Pic GBN)

Gibraltar Health and Care Minister, Gemma Arias Vasquez, speaking at United Nations headquarters in New York has told the Decolonization Committee of 24 it has failed to engage with Gibraltar for decades. The UN session started on Monday at 9.30 am in New York.

Ms Arias Vasquez addressed the UN in place of the Chief Minister, and becomes the first Gibraltarian female political representative to do. Defending Gibraltarians right to self determination, she said without engagement there will be no progress in the matter of decolonization, and to fail to do so is a travesty of the decolonization process.

She urged the committee to once again send a fact-finding mission to Gibraltar to learn about its culture, its history and its political aspirations.

Ms Arias Vasquez told the Committee there have been powerful symbols of cooperation between Gibraltar and Spain in recent times achieved through dialogue.

She said during the COVID pandemic, thousands of Spanish workers were paid their salaries by Gibraltar during the enforced lockdown, while the Spanish authorities have kept the land border with Gibraltar open and fluid despite no agreement yet reached on a treaty.

She said negotiations are expected to continue at a technical level until after the UK General Election on the 4th of July.

Ms Arias-Vasquez anticipated she was absolutely delighted to be attending the United Nations, at the request of the Chief Minister, to deliver such an important address on behalf of the Government of Gibraltar and indeed all Gibraltarians. I am also particularly proud to be the first woman to do so. This was my first time speaking at the United Nations“

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo KC, said: “I am very grateful to Minister Arias-Vasquez for agreeing to attend the UN at short notice. Not only will this be the first time a female Gibraltar Minister attends the United Nations to deliver this address, but it is also a significant moment for Gibraltar. Minister Arias-Vasquez’s speech underscored our commitment to self-determination and focus on the rights of the people of Gibraltar and put across our arguments for removal from the UN List of Non-Self-Governing Territories”: