Permanent Mission to the United Nations | Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization Committee)

The Fourth Committee is responsible for a wide range of issues such as decolonization, international cooperation for the peaceful uses of outer space, effects of atomic radiations, assistance to Palestine refugees, questions related to information, peacekeeping operations, special political missions, as well as mine action (every two years) and University for Peace (every three years).

Decolonization

The Decolonization process is one of the main goals of the United Nations. Under the leadership of the Organization, more than 80 countries whose people were under colonial domination have become Members of the United Nations as sovereign and independent States. Moreover, many other peoples who used to be under colonial rule have reached self-determination through the political association or integration with other independent States.

However, the UN hasn't achieved the goal of complete decolonization; there is still 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories to be decolonized, following a case-by-case approach, in accordance with the relevant resolutions and decisions of the United Nations on the matter.

One of the major milestones in the decolonization process was the adoption, in 1960, of the "Declaration on the Granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples", as proclaimed in UNGA resolution 1514 (XV), which solemnly stated the necessity of bringing to a speedy and unconditional end colonialism in all its forms and manifestations and established the two guiding principles of decolonization: (1) self-determination of people subject to to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation; and (2) the territorial integrity of States.

The Argentine Republic has traditionally granted its full support to the decolonization process carried out by the United Nations, in accordance with the provisions and objectives of the Charter, the principles enshrined in resolution 1514 (XV) and the provisions of other relevant United Nations General Assembly resolutions on decolonization. In that regard, Argentina has expressed its strong commitment with the eradication of colonialism in all its forms since the beginning of the process, establishing a close collaboration with the Special Committee on Decolonization. Moreover, it has actively participated in the Regional Decolonization Seminars which are held annually either in the Caribbean or in the Pacific, regions where most of the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories are located.

Of particular importance for the Argentine Republic is one of the colonial questions on the United Nations agenda: the question of the Malvinas Islands, which involves a sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom on the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas. As a consequence, this a colonial case to which the principle of self-determination is not applicable.

For further information on the decolonization under the Forth Committee, please visit the United Nations official Website: http://www.un.org/es/decolonization/

Middle East and the question of Palestine

The Argentine Republic has traditionally maintains a position of strong support to the Middle East Peace Process, within the framework provided by Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and 1515 (2003), the terms of reference of the Madrid Conference, in particular the principle of land for peace and the bilateral agreements in force.

In this framework, Argentina supports the right to self-determination of the Palestine People, including the establishment of an independent State and, at the same time, it recognizes the right of Israel of living in peace within safe and international recognized borders.

In several occasions Argentina has expressed its deep concern for the escalation of violence and terrorism which have brought an outcome of thousands of deaths and wounded, preventing to move forward to the resolution of the Middle East conflict and worsened the suffering of Palestine and Israelis.

Argentina supports the work that since 1950 the United Nations Reliefs and Works Agency for the Refugees in Middle East (UNRWA) has been carrying out to assist Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The UNWRA offers not only humanitarian assistance but also health, education, social services, housing and food to Palestine refugees, and it is aimed at building capacities to offer future opportunities to Palestine refugees.

Questions related to information

In the framework of the Fourth Committee and the Committee on Information, the Argentine Delegation has an active role oriented to ensuring the promotion and better understanding of the goals and work of the United Nations through the diffusion of its message in a wide range of issues of the utmost importance and interest for the International Community.

Recognizing the efforts undertaken by the Department of Public Information (DPI) in order to mainstream multilingualism in all its activities, Argentina upholds the full parity in the use of the six official languages of the United Nations and encourages the design of creative solutions, within existing resources and in accordance with the relevant General Assembly resolutions, to that end.

Argentina supports the work of the United Nations Information Centers (UNICs), a vital tool in order to spread the message of the Organization, in particular the role of the UNIC of Argentina, responsible also for Uruguay. Since its establishment in 1948, the Buenos Aires’ UNIC has been the “voice” in Spanish of the UN DPI, raising the awareness of a broad audience and mobilizing the local and regional support to the United Nations.

For further information on the issues under the Forth Committee on the current session of the General Assembly, please visit its official Website.

The question of the Malvinas Islands at the United Nations

The question of the Malvinas Islands was inscribed in 1946 by the United Kingdom as a colonial question on which the UK should transmit information to the Secretary General in accordance with the sub paragraph e) Article 73 of the United Nations Charter.

The Special Committee on Decolonization and the United Nations General Assembly have recognized in several occasions that the “question of the Malvinas Islands” is a “special and particular case” which cannot be considered equivalent to the situation of other Non-Self-Governing territories. This specificity has been pointed out by the General Assembly since its adoption of resolutions 2065 (XX) and other subsequent resolutions, including all the resolutions adopted on this question by the Special Committee on Decolonization, all of which expressed the explicit recognition by the international community about the existence of a sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom which needs to be settled through the resumption of bilateral negotiations. By means of these pronouncements, the UN General Assembly has clearly established that the principle of self-determination is not applicable to the question of the Malvinas Islands. This doctrine was reassured by the General Assembly itself in 1985 when rejected by a wide margin the two amendments which attempted to trace a link between the Malvinas Islands and the principle of self-determination.

In the framework of the decolonization process, the Argentine Republic has maintained a permanent position of strong defense of the application of the principle of self-determination to those “people” subjected to a colonial power, whether the circumstances has led to the United Nations to decide that it is appropriate to apply that principle. However, in the “question of the Malvinas Islands” the applicability of such principle has been ruled out given the fact that in this case there is not a “people” subject to foreign colonial subjugation, domination or exploitation, but a number of subject of the colonial power who cannot be distinguished from the colonizer, as they are descendants of the settlers that the occupying power illegally transplanted to the territory after the usurpation in 1833, by expelling by force the Argentine population and authorities who had been settled in the Islands in a legitimate, peaceful and public manner.

Attempting to grant the current inhabitants of the Islands – who enjoy full British citizenship – the right to self-determination would imply to accept that they become the arbitrator in a territorial dispute to which their country is one of the parties and to validate an act of usurpation which has disrupted the territorial integrity of the Argentine Republic.

It´s worth to recall that the application of the principle of self-determination can neither authorize nor encourage the total or partial disruption of a sovereign and independent State. This is enshrined in paragraph 6 of GA resolution 154 (XV) which states that: “Any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and the territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”

The Government and People of Argentina grant the highest importance and priority to the recovery of the effective exercise of sovereignty on the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas. This constitutes a permanent and unrelinquishable objective which can only be achieved by peaceful means through negotiations, as it has been enshrined in the Argentine National Constitution. The respect for the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the Islands has also been granted constitutional hierarchy, and in many opportunities the Argentine government has expressed its will to negotiate safeguards and guarantees to that end.

In spite of the reiterated call made by the International Community to both parties to resume negotiations and of the permanent willingness of Argentina, it hasn’t been possible to resume the bilateral negotiations so far, due to the intransigence of the United Kingdom to fulfill that international obligation. Argentina hopes that the mission of good offices entrusted to the UN Secretary General by the General Assembly makes possible the resumption of dialogue with a view to finding a just and lasting solution to the sovereignty dispute on the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas.