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
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Page on Decolonization
United Nations list
In 1946, eight Member States-Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France,
the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United
States-identified 72 territories under their administration that they
considered to fall under the Charter provisions as non-self-governing.
Colonial territories ruled by Spain and Portugal, both of which joined
the United Nations in 1955, were later added to the list.
By 1963, the General Assembly approved a revised list of 64
Non-Self-Governing Territories. The list included the Territories for
which information was transmitted under Article 73e; plus the two
remaining Trust Territories (Nauru and the Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands), Namibia (then referred to as South West Africa)
and Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
The list was expanded in 1965 to include French Somaliland (now Djibouti) and Oman. The Comoro Islands were
included in 1972 and New Caledonia in 1986. As a result of the decolonization process, most of the Territories were
removed from the list. Currently there are 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories. (click to view larger image)
