Timor-Leste
Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach has departed the U.S. Virgin Islands to attend the United Nations Pacific Regional Seminar on the Eradication of Colonialism, a high-level international forum focused on the status of territories still considered non-self-governing by the United Nations.
According to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the seminar, which will take place from May 21 to 23, is being held in Dili, Timor-Leste, a nation that achieved independence in 2002 after periods of colonization by both Portugal and Indonesia. The United Nations extended an invitation to the U.S. Virgin Islands to participate, and Governor Albert Bryan Jr. designated Lt. Gov. Roach as the official representative for the territory.
According to the release, Mr. Roach’s selection follows his active participation in previous UN seminars on decolonization, including engagements held in Indonesia and two Caribbean capitals, where he represented the interests and unique political circumstances of the Virgin Islands.
The seminar is convened under the mandate of UN General Assembly Resolution 75/123, which established 2021–2030 as the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. The resolution also authorized the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, the UN body tasked with charting progress for the 17 remaining non-self-governing territories.
This year’s theme—“Pathways to a sustainable future: advancing socioeconomic and cultural development of the Non-Self-Governing Territories”—reflects a continued effort to craft viable strategies for long-term self-determination, development, and decolonization. The seminar will gather representatives of administering powers, member states, territorial governments, as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and selected experts to contribute to this ongoing dialogue.
According to the release, all travel expenses for representatives attending the seminar will be covered by the United Nations.
Roach is expected to return to the U.S. .Virgin Islands on Sunday, May 25. During his absence, Senate President Milton E. Potter will assume the duties of lieutenant governor, in accordance with the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands.
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