Tomorrow, until next week 31st May, marks International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

For many of us living under a country that is self-ruled, it seems normal, considering countries like Kenya have been able to attain this for more than 50 years.

In the UN Charter, a Non-Self-Governing Territory is defined as a Territory “whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government.”

Many nations today are blessed to experience independent rule.

However, from 1960 to 2002, 54 Territories attained self-government. At present, there are 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories remaining. – UN Charter

When the United Nations was founded in 1945, some 750 million people, nearly a third of the world’s population, lived in Territories that were dependent on colonial powers. Today, fewer than 2 million people live under colonial rule.