General Assembly Distr.: General 30 July 2018
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United Nations A/AC.109/2018/SR.10 General Assembly Distr.: General 30 July 2018 Original: English Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples Summary record of the 10th meeting Held at Headquarters, New York, on Friday, 22 June 2018, at 10 a.m. Chair: Mr. Webson ......................................... (Antigua and Barbuda) Contents Question of New Caledonia Report of the visiting mission to New Caledonia Hearing of petitioners Question of French Polynesia Hearing of representatives of the Non-Self-Governing Territory Hearing of petitioners Question of Tokelau Hearing of representatives of the Non-Self-Governing Territory Question of the Turks and Caicos Islands (continued) Question of the United States Virgin Islands Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples Report of the Pacific regional seminar Organization of work Closure of the session This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record. They should be sent as soon as possible to the Chief of the Documents Management Section ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org/). 18-10327 (E) *1810327* A/AC.109/2018/SR.10 The meeting was called to order at 10.10 a.m. 7. The composition of the electoral lists and the voter registration procedures remained a cause for concern Question of New Caledonia (A/AC.109/2018/11; and his people could no longer tolerate any trickery or A/AC.109/2018/L.22) manipulation of their good faith and outstretched hand. The exercise of the right to self-determination should 1. The Chair drew attention to the working paper not bury the claims of colonized peoples under a prepared by the Secretariat on the question of New massive wave of immigration but rather should enable Caledonia (A/AC.109/2018/11). them to freely choose their destiny. In the meantime, non-autonomous Territories must remain on the United Report of the visiting mission to New Caledonia Nations list of countries not yet decolonized. For its (A/AC.109/2018/20) part, New Caledonia had already been taken off the list 2. Mr. Rivero Rosario (Cuba) introduced the report once in 1947 and added again in 1986. New Caledonia of the Committee’s visiting mission to New Caledonia was not prepared to be removed from that list once again (A/AC.109/2018/20). because of electoral skulduggery and intrigue in the service of geopolitical interests and battles for influence 3. Ms. Rodríguez Silva (Bolivarian Republic of in the Asia-Pacific region. Venezuela) said that her delegation was pleased that the inhabitants of New Caledonia would soon have the 8. Mr. Forrest (Front de libération nationale kanak opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination et socialiste (FLNKS)) said that the 2018 referendum in accordance with the relevant General Assembly and would be the first opportunity for the Kanak people to Special Committee resolutions and it welcomed the exercise their right to self-determination and achieve support given by the delegation of France as the emancipation from French colonial rule. Committee fulfilled its mandate. 9. The Committee had played a key role in the efforts to ensure a fair and unimpeachable consultation process, Hearing of petitioners through two visiting missions and three electoral 4. The Chair said that, in line with the Committee’s observer missions. Real progress had been made but it usual practice, petitioners would be invited to take a was imperative that United Nations observers were place at the petitioners’ table and would withdraw after present during the forthcoming referendum. In addition, making their statements. greater attention must be given to the establishment of the list of voters, especially as the administering Power 5. Mr. Wamytan (Groupe Union calédonienne (UC)- had adopted a new approach to the provisions for Front de libération nationale kanak et socialiste automatically registering voters which meant that (FLNKS) et Nationalistes, Congress of New Caledonia) persons not involved in the process continued to be said that New Caledonia had reached a historic moment included on the list of voters. In addition, visits from in its decolonization and emancipation process. On French parliamentarians had become increasingly 4 November 2018, its population would vote on the frequent in 2018. Their involvement in the future of the country. pre-referendum debate destabilized the impact of the 6. Recalling the history of the Territory’s referendum in the eyes of the population and gave a colonization by France, he said that thousands of voice to outdated colonialist reactions. Such actions convicts had been dumped on the archipelago, which were not appropriate for a modern and innovative had contributed to the near extinction of the native decolonization process. Furthermore, massive organized Kanak inhabitants. The demographic composition was immigration continued, in a spirit that ran counter to the being further altered by incessant migration from process of emancipation and decolonization. France, which could have an impact on the right to self- 10. More than ever, FLNKS was active in promoting determination in the context of the upcoming political and economic independence and in securing a referendum. The Committee should examine the status reliable future for young persons. The party was of implementation of the Nouméa Accord in relation to working to involve Melanesians in major development the principles of decolonization. It should also perform projects in the tourism, fishing, health and education an audit to assess the extent to which France, the sectors, and to combat the colonial legacy of structural administering Power, had prepared the colonized Kanak inequality to establish a more just and unified society. people and other communities that shared their destiny Indigenous wisdom and know-how were crucial to to take part freely, genuinely and transparently in the achieving sustainable development and FLNKS was referendum. guided by the principles and values of traditional societies. The latest version of the party’s political 2/8 18-10327 A/AC.109/2018/SR.10 independence project was aimed at engaging the 341 electoral process must be acceptable to all parties; its tribes and 33 communes of the country to educate the choices must be clearly explained; and the anxieties and population on the viability of the political project. Its concerns of New Caledonians regarding an uncertain ultimate goal was for the Kanak people of New future must be addressed by authorities both in New Caledonia to reach full international sovereignty, which Caledonia and in France. The Group had noted the was widely supported internationally. Secretary-General’s response to the request of the Union calédonienne-Front de libération nationale kanak et Draft resolution A/AC.109/2018/L.22: Question of socialiste (UC-FLNKS) for an audit of the New Caledonia decolonization process in New Caledonia. However, the Secretary-General’s opinion did not represent that of the 11. Mr. Rai (Papua New Guinea), speaking on behalf Member States, which had the right to further discuss of the Melanesian Spearhead Group and introducing the any proposals. A lack of precedent did not in any way draft resolution on behalf of that Group and FLNKS, preclude new initiatives and the Group therefore said that the Group was determined to contribute to intended to explore the proposal. ensuring a just, fair and transparent self-determination process for New Caledonia and an outcome that was 15. The draft resolution also addressed ongoing respected by all, in line with the Nouméa Accord, the concerns regarding human rights issues and inequalities Charter of the United Nations and the relevant General in the Territory. Despite measures taken, much work Assembly resolutions. remained to eliminate inequalities between and within the three provinces of the Territory, including the low 12. After 165 years of colonization, New Caledonia participation of Kanak people in the education and had reached a crucial phase, with the referendum date employment sectors; high levels of school drop-outs; set for 4 November 2018 and the question for the ballot juvenile delinquency; and the high numbers of Kanak agreed by the Committee of Signatories in March 2018. people in prison, where they accounted for an estimated That question was: “Do you want New Caledonia to 90 per cent of inmates. accede to full sovereignty and become independent?”. The draft resolution recognized the serious concerns 16. The draft resolution recognized improvements expressed by New Caledonians regarding the made to the referendum process since 2014. While importance of and need for clarity concerning the progress had been made regarding the electoral lists for potential referendum outcomes. The administering the referendum, it was important to ensure that the Power and the Territory’s authorities had therefore been definitive list had a high level of transparency, integrity called on to provide educational and awareness and credibility, as that would determine whether the programmes to clearly inform the people of New outcome of the referendum was accepted. The second Caledonia about what the day after the referendum revised electoral list could potentially serve as a basis to would mean for them. The draft resolution also move forward. encouraged the administering Power to facilitate the 17. The Group appreciated the continued positive presence of international observers, including from the engagement of France as New Caledonia strived United Nations, during the self-referendum. towards the forthcoming referendum. The draft 13. The significant advances on the question of New resolution was balanced and representative of all Caledonia had been made possible through joint efforts relevant stakeholders and the Group hoped that it would under the auspices of the Committee of Signatories to be adopted by consensus.