New York, June 18, 2025 — Elected deputies of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, Mark Pollard and Peter Biggs, addressed the session of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24), emphasizing the local population's right to self-determination and their desire to maintain a special relationship with the United Kingdom.
MLA Pollard stated that he was speaking on behalf of the people of the Falkland Islands, not the United Kingdom or Argentina, and urged respect for the will of the people as expressed in the 2013 referendum, where 98% supported maintaining the status of an overseas territory.
Peter Biggs shared his family's history on the islands since 1842 and recounted experiences during the 1982 war. He also noted that today the Falkland Islands are a thriving multicultural community with a developed economy and a high standard of living.
The deputies emphasized that any negotiations about the future of the islands must take into account the opinion of their residents, rejecting attempts to conduct dialogue without them.
These interventions occur amidst ongoing disputes between Argentina and the UK over the sovereignty of the islands, where Argentina insists on resuming negotiations.