ABSTRACT
Figure 28.1 The Organization of African Unity (OAU) 1963-2001 448 Figure 28.2 The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) 450 Figure 28.3 The black civil rights movement in the US 452
The Trusteeship Council in operation
For the first 15 years after the Second World War the main decolonization issues in the UN were handled by the Trusteeship Council, which was based on a reinforced version of the mandate system of the League of Nations. The General Assembly set up an ad hoc commission to monitor the decolonization process through the required reports, but this was of little significance. Its existence was renewed every three years, but it did not evolve into a permanent body nor did it have the authority to comment on political developments, as that was the privilege of the Trusteeship Council. From the beginning the US had favoured self-determination and independence as the eventual outcome for the mandates, whereas the European colonial states refused to commit themselves to this result although they had agreed to it. This was particularly true for the areas still under their control and less so for the mandates under the supervision of the Trusteeship Council. But the Declaration Regarding Non-Self-Governing Territories in Chapter XI of the UN Charter did call upon the colonial states to be active in promoting the wellbeing of the people and working towards self-government. However, it took some time before the colonial states were prepared to gradually move in that direction. At first the decision about granting independence was entirely theirs, but by the end of the 1950s their attitude began to change, as they started to regard their colonial territories more and more as a burden. It became more difficult to deny the colonies the liberty and selfdetermination that they valued so much for themselves. The pursuit of independence by colonial territories also sometimes became violent and forced colonial governments to engage in expensive military operations against liberation movements. This increased their
willingness to grant independence, albeit that this often coincided with controversies in domestic politics. During the 1960s 42 states were to gain independence.
