As the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its debate today on “Eradicating colonialism in all its forms and manifestations”, speakers highlighted modern-day manifestations of that phenomenon.
While decolonization is one of “the most significant transformations that we saw in the twentieth century”, Cuba’s delegate said, “regrettably colonialism is not a relic of the past”. Contemporary colonialism expresses itself through the appropriation and exploitation of people’s natural resources and the imposition of cultural patterns erasing Indigenous Peoples’ cultures. It can also take the form of the illegal application of “extraterritorial laws which attempt to govern economic and commercial relations of sovereign nations”, and unilateral coercive measures that aim to bring about regime change.
“That is exactly what we’re seeing in Cuba,” he said, noting his country’s heroic resistance to the United States’ multidimensional attack on its people. This includes an energy blockade, the unprecedented economic war and the permanent threat of military aggression, he said, as he also voiced solidarity with the peoples of Palestine, Puerto Rico and Western Sahara.
Economic Pressure, Coercion New Forms of Colonialism
Other speakers, including those of Nicaragua and Venezuela, also highlighted unilateral coercive measures as neocolonial instruments of political pressure and economic war. The latter added that “colonialism has now mutated into less visible forms that do not adhere to classic patterns”. It is not always expressed in physical occupation of territory, he said, adding that its new manifestations include different kinds of economic pressure.
“Attaching political conditions to cooperation” — conditions not in line with national priorities — is a form of neocolonialism, he added. It also takes on the form of a debt architecture which restricts the fiscal space of developing nations and the exploitation of natural resources against a people’s sovereign will.
Iran’s delegate also stressed that “colonialism has not disappeared; it has adapted”. He too outlined its new forms, including economic coercion; the manipulation of structural power in global finance and trade; exploitative control over natural resources; and the politicization of human rights. Recent developments have demonstrated that these pressures may facilitate or accompany acts of aggression, he noted.
Calls for Reparations for Colonial-Era Injustices
“Addressing contemporary forms of colonialism must also go hand in hand with acknowledging the crimes committed during the colonial era and redressing their consequences,” he underscored.
The representative of the Russian Federation, who spoke on behalf of Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, welcomed the successful adoption of Assembly resolution 80/106declaring 14 December as the International Day against Colonialism in All its Forms and Manifestations.
Stressing the need to address the legacy of the colonial era, including through reparations, he called for efforts to fight against its modern-day manifestations. There is a growing willingness in the Assembly, as well as in the Fourth Committee, to recognize colonialism not as a relic of the past but as a constantly growing threat. “Modern-day colonialism is seen, among other things, through unilateral coercive measures, the threat of the use or use of force, intervention in domestic affairs of States, as well as attempts to impose socioeconomic — as well as political — development models,” he said.
His group will table a new resolution that recognizes that modern-day forms of colonialism are incompatible with the Charter and calls on Member States to refrain from such practices.
Europe Rejects Russian Federation’s Decolonization Claims
However, Poland’s delegate, speaking also on behalf of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, firmly opposed the Russian Federation’s attempts at creating and promoting a misleading narrative about itself as a champion of decolonization. “Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine is a direct contradiction” to real decolonization, he said.
Since the illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s sovereign territories have been under the Russian Federation’s temporary occupation and Ukrainian citizens are being brutally tortured and killed. Citing a 2025 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report, he added that Ukrainian children are being subjected to indoctrination, militarization and deportation.
“These tactics are very similar to what many countries and nations suffered under Soviet domination and occupation,” he said, adding that, for decades, the Russian Federation has followed a neocolonial foreign policy to undermine the sovereignty of neighbouring States.
Former Colonies Stress Decolonization Remains Unfinished
The representative of India highlighted the UN’s decisive role in decolonization, enabling former Non-Self-Governing Territories to become “part of the UN family”. Angola’s delegate also stressed that decolonization is an unfinished project. He called for strengthening the Special Committee on Decolonization and facilitating visiting missions. The International Day against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations must go beyond commemoration to promote accountability and implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
As a country whose own history was shaped by colonialism and apartheid, South Africa has an “acute empathy” for those who remain under the yoke of colonialism and oppression, that country’s delegate said. Noting the long lists of petitioners who speak to the Committee every year, she added that the work of decolonization remains unfinished. She highlighted the plight of the people of Western Sahara, the last remaining colony in Africa. “International legality” and not “political expediency” should be the basis of a solution in that situation, she said.
Namibia’s delegate said the 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories that remain on the Special Committee’s agenda “represent individuals and peoples with hopes, dreams and aspirations”. He also called on the UN to redress the historic injustice done to Africa by reforming the Council and ensuring it has a permanent seat.
The Fourth Committee also approved the Committee’s programme of work for this session (document A/C.4/81/L.1).