The Process Non-Self-Governing Territories United Nations list MAP Territories to which the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples Continues to Apply (as of '01) Declaration on Decolonization Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples Special Committee Meetings at the United Nations Seminars Scholarships Visiting missions Development assistance Regional commissions The challenges ahead More Information Top page Page on Decolonization

The process of achieving self-determination by colonial or dependent territories is known as decolonization. A half-century ago, much of the world, especially Africa and Asia, consisted of colonies and dependent territories ruled by a small number of colonial Powers. Nowadays, almost all of the former colonies have been transformed into independent countries. The United Nations played an important role in this historic transformation. The United Nations was established in 1945 by 51 sovereign States. The Charter of the Organization proclaimed "the respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples "as one of its basic purposes. Since then, nearly 750 million people have exercised their right to self-determination, and more than 80 once-colonized territories have gained their independence. Non-Self-Governing Territories At the time the United Nations was established, there were 72 Non-Self-Governing Territories and eleven Trust Territories. The Trust Territories were mostly former colonies of the countries defeated in the First and Second World Wars. They were placed under the United Nations International Trusteeship System and have all since exercised their right to self-determination. All other colonies were considered as Non-Self-Governing Territories under Chapter XI of the Charter, devoted to the "territories whose peoples have not yet attained a full measure of self-government". The Member States recognized that "the interests of the inhabitants of these territories are paramount". The administering Powers, by signing the Charter, accepted as "a sacred trust" the obligation to promote to the utmost the well-being of the Territories under their administration. Under Article 73e of the Charter, the administering Powers also accepted the obligation "to transmit regularly to the Secretary-General" information relating to "the economic, social and educational conditions in the territories".