Africa-Press – Angola. Angola defended on Thursday, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the right of peoples to self-determination and independence of territories that remain under any form of colonial rule.
The position was defended by Angola’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Francisco da Cruz, during his intervention at the High-Level Meeting, on the 65th anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the celebration, for the first time, of the Day against Colonialism and All its Forms and Manifestations.
The diplomat recalled that the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognize the inalienable rights of peoples to independence and self-determination, for whom the purpose of the UN will not be fully achieved as long as non-self-governing territories still exist.
The scourge of colonialism
Francisco da Cruz highlighted that, like other African countries, Angola suffered the scourge of colonialism for almost 500 years.
While celebrating, for the first time, the International Day against Colonialism and All its Forms and Manifestations, Angola is commemorating 50 years as a free, sovereign and independent nation, reaffirming its principle of strong rejection of colonialism and all practices of segregation and discrimination associated with it, he stressed.
The diplomat recalled that the 2001 Durban Declaration recognizes colonialism as a crime against humanity, and the African Union (AU) has as its theme for 2025, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,” addressing the historical injustices that Africa suffered from slavery and colonization.
He reiterated the collective African determination to transform the injustices of the past into relationships based on human dignity and respect, solidarity and cooperation, contributing to a multilateral framework better able to address contemporary global challenges.
The Permanent Representative of Angola called on the Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) to continue to facilitate and support the right to self-determination through transparent and inclusive processes, allowing non-self-governing territories to determine their own political status and future governance arrangements.
Decolonization and self-determination are not a favor to anyone, but a right that must be guaranteed to all peoples of the world.
He said the history of colonialism cannot be erased or forgotten, but must serve as a reflection so that the international community can have a renewed determination to defend a world free from all forms of historical injustice.
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