UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON SELF DERMINATION
By Mohsin Zaheer
The Pakistani Newspaper
November 24, 2004
United Nations New York, November 24: The United Nations General
Assembly’s Third Committee, dealing with social and humanitarian
issues, today adopted by consensus a draft resolution on the “Universal
Realization of the Right of peoples to Self-determination.” Pakistan
was the lead sponsor of this resolution.
The resolution reaffirms the universal right of peoples to
self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter and international
covenants on human rights. It welcomes the progressive exercise of
this right by peoples under colonial, foreign or alien occupation and
their emergence into sovereign statehood and independence. In its
operative part, the resolution calls upon those States responsible
to cease immediately their military intervention in and occupation
of foreign countries and territories and all acts of repression,
discrimination, exploitation and maltreatment, in particular the
brutal and inhuman methods reportedly employed for the execution
of those acts against the peoples concerned. The resolution has
consistently been adopted by the General Assembly since 1981. Pakistan
has always been the lead sponsor of the resolution. Pakistan also
makes a statement in the Third Committee’s General Debate on this
item.The resolution was co-sponsored by a large number of countries
from Asia and Africa. Besides Pakistan, the co-sponsors included:
Algeria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina
Faso, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Jordan,
Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Niger, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore,
Somalia, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.
The resolution requests the Commission on Human Rights to continue to
give special attention to the violation of human rights, especially
the right to self-determination, resulting from foreign military
intervention, aggression or occupation. It also requests the Secretary
General to report to the 60th Session of the General Assembly on this
question. The resolution will now go to the Plenary of the General
Assembly for adoption before end of the current session.