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​UN General Assembly Resolution 73/295

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​On 22 May 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted by an overwhelming vote of 116 to 6, with 56 abstentions, Resolution 73/295 to give effect to the Advisory Opinion of the ICJ.

​The key points of the Resolution are as follows:​
(​​a)
​the General Assembly affirmed, in accordance with the Advisory Opinion of the ICJ of 25 February 2019, that the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius;
​(b)
​the General Assembly demanded that the UK withdraw its colonial administration from the Chagos Archipelago unconditionally within a period of not more than six months; 
​(c)
​the General Assembly urged the UK to cooperate with Mauritius in facilitating the resettlement of Mauritian nationals, including those of Chagossian origin, in the Chagos Archipelago and to pose no impediment or obstacle to such resettlement; 
​(d)
​the General Assembly called upon all Member States to cooperate with the UN to ensure the completion of the decolonization process of Mauritius as rapidly as possible, and to refrain from any action that will impede or delay the completion of the process of decolonization of Mauritius; and
​(e)
the General Assembly further called upon the UN and all its specialized agencies as well as all other international, regional and intergovernmental organizations to recognize that the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius, to support the decolonization of Mauritius as rapidly as possible and to refrain from impeding that process by recognizing, or giving effect to any measures taken by or on behalf of, the so-called “British Indian Ocean Territory”.
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​The UK failed to withdraw its colonial administration from the Chagos Archipelago by the deadline of 22 November 2019 set by the UN General Assembly in its Resolution 73/295.  This failure has been deplored by the African Union in a communiqué issued on 22 November 2019.


The report of the UN Secretary-General on the implementation of the Resolution was released on 12 June 2020.​



Pursuant to General Assembly Resolution 73/295, the UN published a new world map in February 2020 to clearly show the Chagos Archipelago as part of the territory of the Republic of Mauritius​.​​

​On 24 August 2021, the 27th Universal Postal Congress held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire adopted a resolution for the implementation of UN General Assembly Resolution 73/295 by the Universal Postal Union (UPU).  Out of the 124 member countries of the UPU which participated in the vote on the resolution, 77 voted in favour, 6 against and 41 abstained.  The resolution, inter alia, provides that:​
(​​a)
​the UPU formally acknowledges that, for the purposes of its activities, the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius;
​(b)
the International Bureau of the UPU should request Mauritius to keep the UPU regularly informed of any decisions regarding international postal operations in the Chagos Archipelago;
​(c)
​the International Bureau should cease the registration, distribution and forwarding of any and all postage stamps issued by the so-called “British Indian Ocean Territory”; and
​(d)
​the International Bureau should ensure that UPU documentation does not include any references to the so-called “BIOT” or to the Chagos Archipelago as part of the member country of the UPU known as the “Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”.
​Click here for the resolution​​​​​
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