By Othuke Evroh
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act toward one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
This was the premise upon which H.E. Ibrahim Gambari, CFR, Former UNESCO President, Foreign Affairs Minister, Erstwhile UN Special Envoy on Zimbabwe and Myanmar, commenced his address tagged; “Peace can only germinate in the soil of social progress”, at a two day conference organized by the Society for International Relations Awareness(SIRA), for the Eradication of Colonialism.
The conference which commenced on Monday, August 12, at Top Rank Hotels Galaxy, Utako, Abuja, was titled, “The Forgotten Peoples: International Conference to Decolonize the World”.
H.E. Ibrahim Gambari thanked SIRA for the bold initiative.
“I congratulate the African tink tank, the Society for International Relations Awareness(SIRA), for this courageous and timely Initiative. This effort is akin to planting a mustard seed, it, therefore, needs tending, watering and if necessary, applying environmentally-safe fertilizer to ensure it germinates and, humanity harvests its beautiful fruits”, he said.
Professor Ibrahim Gambari noted that given the above Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UNGA resolved unequivocally:
“Immediate steps be taken, in Trust and Non-self Governing Territories or all other territories which have not yet attained independence, to transfer all powers to the peoples of those territories, without any conditions or reservations, in accordance with their freely expressed will and desire, without any distinction as to race, creed or colour, in order to enable them to enjoy, complete independence and freedom”.
“Decolonization needs an action plan and implementation plan. Humanity must not endlessly wait for this human scourge to be eradicated”, he declared.
Further, H.E. Ibrahim Gambari stated that he strongly believes that decolonization can be negotiated.
“Perhaps the happiest moment of my diplomatic career was on June 22, 1990, when, again as the Chairman of the UN Special Committee against Apartheid, I received Nelson Mandela in the UN. He had been freed about four months earlier from a 27-year captivity in the jails of Apartheid South Africa. The South African de-colonization process was one of the stickiest as it was, like the cases in Kenya and Algeria, also settler colonies”.
“Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, if the final decolonization of South Africa could be negotiated, I believe the decolonization of all the remaining Non-Self Governing Territories can also be negotiated”, he concluded.
The conference was attended by eminent personalities from different walks of life.
