Wednesday, August 5th 2020. The United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) adopted by consensus a new resolution reiterating the call on the United Kingdom and Argentina to resume negotiations in order to find as soon as possible a peaceful and definitive solution to the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Felipe Solá expressed that "the recovery of the full exercise of sovereignty over the Malvinas is both a State policy and a sentiment of the Argentine people".

"The Committee on Decolonization expressly recognizes there is a sovereignty dispute, and calls on Argentina and the United Kingdom to dialogue, and our country once again reiterates its permanent willingness to negotiate", said Solá after the approval of the Committee s resolution.

The pronouncement was cosponsored by all Latin-American countries that are Members of the Special Committee: Chile, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela.Every year, since 1983, the Special Committee calls on Argentina and the United Kingdom to resume negotiations in accordance with Resolution 2065 (XX) and subsequent resolutions of the General Assembly on the Question of the Malvinas Islands.

The Secretary of Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic, Daniel Filmus, highlighted "the need to resume substantive dialogue on the sovereignty dispute"  and called upon the United Kingdom "to comply with the duty imposed by international law to resolve the dispute and bring an end to this anachronistic colonial situation".

Also, he underscored that "Argentina has made historic progress towards consolidating its sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands through the National Congress  adoption, by unanimity, of the Law that establishes the National Council on the Malvinas Islands Affairs, an inclusive ambit aimed at outlining and maintaining medium and long-term State policies".

The Special Committee on Decolonization, established in 1961 as subsidiary organ of the United Nations General Assembly, is responsible for monitoring implementation of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV). In this context, the 17 remaining colonial situations are examined annually, and its resolutions aim at making progress towards the end of colonialism.

The call by the United Nations to resume negotiations between Argentina and the United Kingdom as a means for resolving the dispute is shared by several multilateral fora, such as the Organization of American States (OAS), MERCOSUR, the Group of 77   China, The Community of Latin-American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Ibero-American Summits, among others. Nevertheless, the United Kingdom persists in its reluctance to resume negotiations in this regard.