Justice, Peace, Integrity<br /> of Creation
Justice, Peace, Integrity<br /> of Creation
Justice, Peace, Integrity<br /> of Creation
Justice, Peace, Integrity<br /> of Creation
Justice, Peace, Integrity<br /> of Creation

The Trusteeship Council

Newark 15.06.2018 Jpic-jp.org Translated by: Jpic-jp.org

The United Nations (UN) has six main organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, the Secretariat (with the Secretary General), and the Trusteeship Council. The latter is undoubtedly the least known, the least talked about and possibly the one that has produced the best changes in the lives of countries.

To understand its functions, we need to take a step back in history. When the United Nations was founded in 1945, some 750 million people, nearly a third of the world's population, lived in Territories that were dependent on colonial Powers. Today, fewer than 2 million people live under colonial rule in the 17 remaining non-self-governing territories. The wave of decolonization, which changed the face of the planet, was born with the UN and represents the world body’s first great success. The international trusteeship system was established by the UN Charter. Affirming the principle of self-determination, the Charter describes the responsibility of States for territories under their administration as “a sacred trust” in which the interests of their inhabitants are paramount.

To push the process of decolonization, the General Assembly, in 1960, adopted its landmark Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. The Declaration affirmed the right of all people to self-determination and proclaimed that colonialism should be brought to a speedy and unconditional end. Two years later, a Special Committee on Decolonization was established to monitor its implementation.

The Charter also created the Trusteeship Council and assigned to it the task of supervising the administration of Trust Territories placed under the Trusteeship System. The main goals of the System were to promote the advancement of the inhabitants of Trust Territories and their progressive  development towards self-government or independence.

The Trusteeship Council is made up of the five permanent members of the Security Council - China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States. The aims of the Trusteeship System have been fulfilled to the extent that all 11 Trust Territories have attained self-government or independence, either as separate States or by joining neighboring independent countries.

In 1990, the Assembly proclaimed the International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (1990-2000), which included a specific plan of action. In 2001, it was followed by a Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. The end of the Second Decade coincided with the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. At the same time, the General Assembly declared the period 2011–2020 the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.

In summary, since the creation of the United Nations, 80 former colonies have achieved their independence or self-determination, including the 11 “Trust Territories”. Thus, the Trusteeship Council suspended its operations on 1st November 1994, a month after the independence of Palau, the last remaining United Nations trust territory. By a resolution adopted on 25th May 1994, the Council amended its rules of procedure to drop the obligation to meet annually and agreed to meet as occasion required - by its decision or the decision of its President, or at the request of a majority of its members or the General Assembly or the Security Council. The Special Committee continues to monitor the situation in the remaining 17 territories, working to facilitate their advance towards complete self-determination.

At the beginning of each session, the Trusteeship Council elects a President and a Vice-President from among the representatives of the members of the Council. The President and the Vice-President hold their offices until their respective successors are elected, for a maximum duration of five years. At its seventy‑second session, the Trusteeship Council elected Anne Gueguen of France as its President and Jonathan Guy Allen of the United Kingdom as its Vice‑President.

To know more see Decolonization, The United Nations and Decolonization, The Trusteeship Council and the two maps: The World in 1945 and The World Today

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The comments from our readers (2)

Asuncion Pradas 15.02.2019 Desearía saber los años en los que D. Felipe Antonio Pradas Hernando ocupo el cargo de Secretario en la Administración Fiduciaria de Naciones Unidas
laura lucia martinez barreda 21.07.2020 conocer que lugares a fecha siguen colonizados