It has come to light from a report received this week that Non-Self-Governing Territories like Anguilla may be in a position to get assistance from United Nations bodies in the area of economic and social development. With this available information, it may be worth the while for the Anguilla Government to make some inquiries and appeals at the UN in these difficult times.

Mr. Carlisle L. Richardson

This possible window of opportunity was revealed in a report delivered at a meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 28 this year.

The report was given by Anguillian Carlisle L. Richardson who is the UN Counselor at the Permanent Mission of the independent Federation of St. Kitts-Nevis.

Mr. Richardson is the son of Anguillian educators Dulcie Richardson and the late Constantine Richardson who moved to St. Kitts many years ago, and the brother of Mrs. Dawn Reid in Anguilla.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council met to discuss matters of global importance pertaining to economic and social development. One of the topics that came up for discussion was the issue of “Support to Non-Self-Governing Territories by the United Nations subsidiary bodies.” It sprung from a Resolution introduced by Mr. Richardson who is also a representative of the Special Committee on Decolonisation at the UN. That Resolution was adopted by the Council on July 31.

The following is the Report of the United Nations Economic and Social Council for July 28, 2009, on Mr. Richardson’s intervention.
“At the beginning of the meeting, Carlisle L. Richardson, representative of St. Kitts and Nevis, introduced the report of the President of the Council on consultations with the Special Committee on the situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

“He said Non-Self-Governing Territories could clearly benefit from the range of support that the United Nations and its organizations could give them in their development initiatives and efforts. The fullest implementation possible of the resolutions adopted by the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly under this agenda item would assist these Territories across a wide spectrum of their development agenda. In promoting the involvement of the specialized agencies and international institutions associated with the United Nations, the system sought to further the wellbeing of the inhabitants of the Non-Self-Governing Territories, and their overall socio-economic advancement.”

The rest of the report stated that “during 2008-2009, several specialized agencies and other entities of the United Nations system continued to carry out, in accordance with their respective mandates, activities for the benefit of Self-Governing Territories.”
The report continued: “This year the Committee of 24 specially called upon the specialised agencies and other organisations of the United Nations system to intensify their engagement with the work of the Special Committee on Decolonisation. It was hoped that this, in fact, would lead to increased involvement of the United Nations specialised agencies for the benefit of the Non-Self-Governing Territories. The Special Committee on Decolonisation remained ready to engage in constructive collaboration with ECOSOC (the Economic and Social Council) in the common endeavour to assist and support Non-Self-Governing Territories through the United Nations system. It was hoped that, on a case-by-case basis, this could help bring Non-Self-Governing Territories closer to achieving a full measure of economic and social advancement.”

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