978-1-4222-3430-3

The International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism

In 1988, the UN General Assembly proposed that the years between 1990 and 2000 be known as the International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.The goal of the decade would be “ushering in the twenty-first century, a world free from colonialism.” Ideally, the United Nations wanted no territories remaining on the Non-Self-Governing Territories list by the end of the twentieth century. To fulfill this goal, the United Nations, and especially the Special Com- mittee, would have to work hard. Several things were needed to meet their objective.An essential part of ending colonialism was the cooperation of the administering powers. For territories to become self-governing, they needed the ongoing help and support of the countries governing them. Another important part of the process of self-determination was making sure the people of the territories had all the information they would need to make informed decisions. Since every territory faced a different situation, stud- ies also needed to be done on detailing specific actions that needed to be taken to move each territory closer to self-determination.

PROGRESS IN THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL DECADE FOR THE ERADICATION OF COLONIALISM Namibia (formerly known as South West Africa): 1990

Federated States of Micronesia: 1990 Republic of the Marshall Islands: 1990 Northern Mariana Islands: 1990 Palau: 1994

The last four listed here had been a part of the Pacific Islands Trust Territory, administered by the United States. This was the final Trust Territory to achieve self-determination.

52

United Nations