WCC news: Pacific churches reject US call to end UN decolonization mandate

The Pacific Conference of Churches, in a message on 19 October, rejected a US call to end the mandate of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization.  Rev. James Shri Bhagwan, PCC general secretary (right), and Dr Sivendra Michael, Fiji’s permanent secretary for Environment and Climate Change.  Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC 20 October 2026 “Decolonisation is complete when the peoples still on the list have freely determined their future,” the message reads. “The Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism ends in 2030; this is a time to accelerate the work, not abolish it.” The right of peoples to self-determination is not a matter of opinion, emphasized the message. “The International Court of Justice, most recently in its 2019 Chagos advisory opinion, has treated Resolution 1514 as declaratory of the customary right to self-determination,” the text reads. “To call the foundation of the UN decolonisation process ‘non-binding’ is to tell colonised peoples that their rights are optional.” The message, signed by PCC general secretary Rev. James Shri Bhagwan, stresses that international oversight remains necessary. "Pacific churches have stood for a nuclear-free and independent Pacific for more than five decades,” reads the text. “Our region still carries the fallout of nuclear testing in Mā’ohi Nui and the Marshall Islands.” The peoples of the territories deserve better than to be used in other governments’ political campaigns, the message notes. “That applies to every government, administering powers included,” the text reads. “The peoples of our region are not asking for favours. They are asking for a promise made in 1960 to be kept.” Read the full message See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland