Members of the United Nations Decolonisation Committee (Special Committee of 24, or SC-24) arrived on the Island in late March to begin talks with Bermudians about the process of going Independent. The SC-24 has been helping countries move to sovereignty for more than 40 years.

The SC-24 has sent a Special Mission to Bermuda to gather “information on the situation in Bermuda first-hand and to assess the type of assistance the United Nations system could provide in the self-determination process”.

It also expects to participate in the activities organised by the Bermuda Independence Commission with the view to defining the Island’s future status.

The Special Mission is led by St. Lucia’s ambassador, Julian Hunte, who is joined by Bolivia’s Erwin Ortiz Gandarillas, Luc Joseph Okio of Congo, Crispin Gregoire of Dominica, Papua New Guinea’s Jimmy Ure Ovia, and East Timor’s Jose Luis Guterres.

They are being assisted by Ann Mari Ali, deputy resident representative of the UN Development Programme’s Jamaican office and Dr. Carlyle Corbin, and independent expert on governance and constitutional development.

The remaining members of the Special Committee of 24 are: Antigua & Barbuda, Chile, China, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Ethiopia, Fij, Grenada, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Mali, Russia, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Syria, Tunisia, Tanzania and Venezuela.

Imagine that - Bermuda is being advised on how to go independent by the likes of Cuba, Iran, Mali, Russia and Syria!