Chief Minister Addresses the United Nations Fourth Committee on Decolonisation - 735/2025

Yesterday, the Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo KC MP, delivered a powerful and passionate address before the United Nations Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonisation) at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Speaking before the newly appointed Chair of the Committee, H.E. Mr José Alberto Bríz Gutiérrez of Guatemala, the Chief Minister congratulated him on his election and expressed Gibraltar's hope of forging a constructive working relationship to deepen the Committee's understanding of Gibraltar's position.

In a speech marked by conviction and clarity, Mr Picardo reaffirmed Gibraltar's inalienable right to self-determination, describing it as "non-negotiable, unconditional, and not subject to the veto of any state." He reminded delegates that this right is enshrined in Articles 1 and 55 of the United Nations Charter and reaffirmed in Resolution 1514, which applies directly to the peoples of non-self-governing territories.

The Chief Minister criticised the continued inaction of the Fourth Committee and the Committee of 24 in progressing Gibraltar's delisting, despite the territory's full self-government under its 2006 Constitution: "You fail to recommend to the General Assembly our delisting… It is as if this Committee fails to listen. Fails to see us. Well, hear us now. See us now," he declared.

Mr Picardo set out Gibraltar's modern constitutional and democratic development, its elected institutions, and its capacity to determine its own political, economic, social, and cultural affairs. He also highlighted the historic, sovereignty-neutral agreement reached on 11 June 2025 between Gibraltar, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Spain, an accord he described as "a triumph of diplomacy that removes physical barriers and builds bridges while respecting our sovereignty and our identity."

The Chief Minister welcomed the recent reference by His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain to the population of Gibraltar in his address to the UN General Assembly, calling it "a welcome shift in tone" and "an acknowledgment of our role as legitimate stakeholders in shaping our future."

At the same time, he strongly rejected Spain's continued reliance on outdated UN resolutions adopted at the instigation of the Franco regime, calling them "politically toxic for modern Spain and legally worthless." He reminded the Committee that Spain ceded Gibraltar "in perpetuity" under the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, adding that "no UN resolution, no diplomatic pressure, and no historical grievance can override our unquestionable legal right to self-determination."

Concluding his address, Mr Picardo urged the Committee to finally act: "The time has come for this Committee to recognise that the only legitimate path to Gibraltar's delisting is one that reflects the freely and democratically expressed wishes of the Gibraltarians. Decolonisation is not about cartography, it is about consent. Not about sovereignty imposed, but sovereignty chosen."