End Colonialism in All Its Forms, Secretary-General Urges on Declaration Anniversary

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres' remarks, delivered by Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, to the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, in New York today:

We gather today to mark a historic milestone: the sixty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. And, for the first time, we also observe the International Day against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations.

In 1960, the General Assembly spoke with clarity and courage: colonialism must end - fully and without delay. Forty-three Asian and African nations co-sponsored the Declaration - including all 17 territories that gained independence and joined the United Nations that same year. It was a turning point - the largest expansion of membership in our history, a moment of unity that lit a path for millions.

The Declaration became a compass for freedom. Guided by the Charter, the United Nations helped more than 60 territories - home to over 80 million people - pursue self-determination and emerge as independent States. Today's membership of 193 Member States is, in large part, the legacy of that process.

But let's tell it like it is: That legacy is unfinished. Seventeen Non-Self-Governing Territories remain. And beyond that, the vestiges of colonialism persist - not only on maps, but in the architecture of global power.

Institutions built in another era still reflect the inequalities of that era. The Security Council, the international financial system and other pillars of global governance bear the imprint of a world that no longer exists - a world of empires, not of equals.

This imbalance undermines trust. It stifles progress. It denies the very principles on which our Organization was founded: Equality, sovereignty and the right of all peoples to shape their own destiny.

Eighty years ago, the United Nations was created to save succeeding generations from war, to uphold human rights and to advance progress in larger freedom.

Today, on this first International Day against Colonialism, let us renew that promise - not only by ending colonialism in its traditional forms, but by dismantling its remnants wherever they endure.

Let us act with clarity and conviction to build a world where power is shared, not hoarded; where institutions serve all, not the few; and where freedom is not a privilege, but a universal right.