Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, called for the territory’s removal from the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories during a session of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization, commonly known as the C-24, in New York. It was his final address to the committee as head of government. Gibraltar is one of 17 territories on the UN list. Among them are Western Sahara and the Falkland Islands; Guam and New Caledonia are also included. Picardo argued that Gibraltar’s status should reflect the freely expressed wishes of its people, saying that “the only position on Gibraltar that should be relevant to any democrat should be the freely expressed wish” of the population. He said Gibraltar would not give up its right to self-determination and described past resolutions as outdated, out of step with current realities and inconsistent with international law. Spanish authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
Picardo also highlighted the agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union concerning Gibraltar, which he believes could pave the way to removing or reducing physical barriers at the border with Spain and improving cross-border cooperation. He said the agreement was negotiated with the full participation of the Gibraltar government and requires ratification by the territory’s parliament. The issue of sovereignty remains outside the agreement’s scope, he stressed. Gibraltar’s position is that practical cooperation and economic partnership with Spain do not require residents to give up their right to determine the territory’s future.
Senior officials backed Picardo, among them Attorney General Michael Llamas and Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia. Representative Jamie Trinidad also supported him. Picardo argued that UN resolutions on Gibraltar are outdated and do not comply with modern international law. In his view, the committee has not demonstrated neutrality over the past 63 years, and its repeated resolutions have failed to take the position of the territory’s residents into account. The C-24 has examined Gibraltar’s status for decades, but its continued consideration of the territory has not changed its constitutional status.
During the session, Picardo called for a UN delegation to be sent to Gibraltar and to recommend that the General Assembly remove the territory from the list. Such a move would require an institutional change; the UN has not adopted the proposed recommendation. Picardo said residents are ready to cooperate with Spain but will make no concessions on self-determination. Gibraltarians support good-neighborly relations and economic partnership, he said, while insisting that these aims must not compromise their rights.
The dispute reflects opposing approaches to decolonization and sovereignty. Spain maintains that Gibraltar’s status should be resolved through bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom, rather than through the preference of Gibraltar’s residents alone. Madrid’s position is rooted in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, under which Spain ceded Gibraltar to the British Crown. Spanish authorities also invoke Article X of the treaty in support of their claim. Gibraltar’s government, by contrast, argues that the population’s democratic wishes should carry decisive weight. Discussions have intensified in recent years amid Brexit negotiations and agreements between London and Brussels, while both sides maintain that practical arrangements at the border do not settle sovereignty. Questions of sovereignty and international status are also sharply contested in other high-profile political processes in Spain, including the resignation of the director of Transparencia in Valencia amid the Azud case investigation, previously reported by russpain.com.
Gibraltar was added to the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories in 1946. Since 1963, representatives of the territory have regularly appealed to the committee, seeking recognition of their right to self-determination. Its removal from the list remains unresolved. Spain considers Gibraltar disputed and insists on negotiations with London. For Gibraltar’s people, preserving control over their future while maintaining good-neighborly relations with Spain without losing autonomy remains a basic priority.
