Today, 18 June, the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new resolution reiterating the call on the United Kingdom and Argentina to resume bilateral 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 resolution was adopted by consensus of all the countries that make up the Decolonization Committee, most of which participated in the session alongside delegations from other countries acting as observers in support of the adoption of a new pronouncement calling for the resumption of bilateral sovereignty negotiations as established in the resolutions of the General Assembly, and reiterating their strong support for the Secretary General's good offices mission to help both parties comply with the mandate of the General Assembly as established in its resolutions on the Question of the Malvinas Islands.
During the session held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, many delegations spoke in favour of this call and Argentina's sovereignty rights in the Question of the Malvinas Islands, including the declarations by Paraguay and Brazil on behalf of MERCOSUR Member States and Associate States and the Brasilia Consensus, respectively. In addition, Ecuador recalled the Special Statement adopted by the Ibero-American Summit, which was then read out.
The Argentine delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Diana Mondino, joined by the Vice-Governor of the Province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands, Mónica Urquiza; the Secretary for Malvinas, Antarctica, Ocean Policy and the South Atlantic, Paola Di Chiaro; Argentina's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ricardo Lagorio; the Representative for the Centre of Malvinas War Veterans in Ushuaia, Malvinas War Veteran Raúl Francisco Rosales; the Secretary for Government Geopolitical Affairs of the Province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands, Carolina Lavori Henninger, and other Foreign Ministry officials.
In her address, Foreign Minister Mondino reaffirmed Argentina's sovereignty rights over the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas, and called upon the United Kingdom to assume the same commitment that Argentina has towards peaceful dispute resolution, multilateralism and a rules-based international order, through the fulfilment of their decolonization obligations as established in the relevant resolutions issued by the General Assembly and its Special Committee on Decolonization.
The Foreign Minister recalled that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the famous plea by Ambassador José María Ruda before this very Committee, in which he presented Argentina's historical and legal titles in the Malvinas Question and explained its particular and different situation compared to other colonial cases, where the principle of territorial integrity, violated through the British occupation of that part of Argentina's territory, is at stake.
Mondino also recalled that, sixty years ago, it was this same Committee that unanimously approved the recommendations that were later adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 2065 of 16 December 1965. In that regard, she affirmed that "the General Assembly and this Special Committee established the path to decolonize the Malvinas Islands: it is a bilateral negotiation to reach a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute, taking into account the provisions and objectives of the United Nations Charter, resolution 1514, as well as the interests of the inhabitants of the Islands."
She further stressed that "this conviction is shared by the entire Argentine people and is enshrined in our National Constitution: the recovery of the full exercise of our sovereignty over the Islands and the surrounding maritime areas, in accordance with international law and respecting the way of life of their inhabitants, is a permanent and inalienable objective. It is an issue that transcends political differences and constitutes a State policy. As an example of this, today I am honoured to have representatives of the government of the Province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and the South Atlantic Islands as part of our Delegation."
After addressing the reasons why the the principle of self-determination does not apply to the Malvinas Question, which led the United Nations to reject its application, Foreign Minister Mondino stressed that "this does not mean that Argentina is indifferent to the interests, welfare, or prosperity of the islanders. On the contrary, our country has maintained and continues to maintain a constructive attitude towards the inhabitants of the Malvinas, taking into account their interests, in accordance with our National Constitution and Resolution 2065."
After recalling the guarantees of a special safeguard regime provided by Argentina for the islanders and the practical measures implemented to improve their living conditions and strengthen ties between the mainland and the islands during the 16 years in which the United Kingdom and Argentina held bilateral negotiations, Foreign Minister Mondino noted that "the inhabitants of the Islands are assured the full enjoyment of human rights guaranteed by our National Constitution, as well as universal, public, and free access to health and education systems at all levels, like any other inhabitant of Argentine soil. Respect for their way of life is enshrined in our National Constitution."
Foreign Minister Mondino stated that, since taking office last December, President Javier Milei has expressed his willingness to begin a new phase in the relationship with the United Kingdom, recalling that our countries have traditionally maintained a rich and mutually beneficial relationship, encompassing the most diverse areas of cooperation.
"In a dynamic global scenario, Argentina aims to develop its capacities in the medium and long term and to establish a mature relationship with the United Kingdom that includes constructive dialogue on all issues of common interest," she concluded. "The Argentine Government is convinced that through such dialogue a higher level of cooperation can be achieved, and it hopes that this will create the necessary environment of mutual trust to resume negotiations to resolve the sovereignty dispute."
The Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) was established in 1961 as a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly to ensure the application of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) and, in this context, every year, it examines the 17 colonial situations that are still pending resolution, including the Malvinas Question.
