Thank you, Madam Chair,
At the outset, I would like to congratulate you and other members of the Bureau on your election. We also express our full support to the work of the 4th Committee.
Madam Chair,
Bangladesh’s fundamental principle of State Policy contains promotion of international peace, security and solidarity including the commitment to support the oppressed people throughout the world. In this august assembly in 1974, our Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, expressed our commitment to the building of a world order, by which the aspiration of all human beings for peace and justice will be realized. Building on that aspiration and also on our own century long struggle for the right to live in freedom and with dignity as free citizens of a free country, we are always inspired to support the aspiration of people under foreign occupation and colonial domination to exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with the United Nations Charter and relevant UN resolutions.
Madam Chair,
62 years have been passed since adoption of the resolution on “Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples” but still the resolution has not been fully implemented. In this regard, we recall the resolution 77/149 of 2022 and call upon its full implementation.
We commend the work of the of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization, i.e. C-24 and its continued efforts to examine the implementation by Member States of resolution 1514 (XV) and other relevant resolutions on decolonization. We also welcome the recommendations made by the Committee in its report titled A/78/23.
Madam Chair,
The Agenda 2030 cannot be achieved by leaving behind the people of the non-self-governing territories. We need to give due focus and take tailored approach to improve the political, economic and social situation in the Non-Self-Governing Territories, which will lead to enabling the populations of those Territories to exercise their right to self-determination, including independence as envisaged in the General Assembly resolution. At present, when the whole world has been struggling with financial crisis, we need to pay special attention to the live and livelihood of the people in those territories. In this regard, we emphasized on the role of the specialized agencies and other organizations and institutions of the United Nations system.
However, the main obligation and responsibility to that end lies on the administering Powers. We call upon full cooperation from the administering powers in formulating specific proposals, on a case-by-case basis, to bring about an end to colonialism, in accordance with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples as intended by the Special Committee. We also underscore the need of the visit by the Special Committee to the non-self-governing territories, and call upon the administering Powers to provide full support to implement the request of the member states to undertake at least one visit in a year.
Madam Chair,
In this meeting, when we are discussing about decolonization and self-determination of the people, I would like to register our concern to the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel and continued encroachment on Palestinian land and natural resources. Bangladesh reiterates its position of supporting the just cause of the people of Palestine for an independent, viable, and sovereign Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, under a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders.
Madam Chair,
In the third year of the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2021 – 2030), I urge all including the administering powers to fully implement all the resolutions related to decolonization and reiterate our commitment to support the people of non-self-governing territories in achieving self-determination and independence.
I thank you all.