List of active national liberation movements recognized by intergovernmental organizations

Background

Throughout the 1970s, the United Nations General Assembly recognized several national liberation movements as "legitimate representatives" of colonial people, with SWAPO of Namibia and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) of Palestine holding non-state observer status at the General Assembly until 1990 and 2012, respectively. The aim of these movements is to eventually establish independent states and some of them have already succeeded. After independence most of the liberation movements transform into political parties – governing or oppositional.

The recognition of national liberation movements began in 1972 when the General Assembly invited liberation movements in Portuguese colonies to act as observers in relevant consultations. In 1974, all national liberation movements recognized by the Organisation of African Unity and the Arab League were invited to regularly participate as observers in conferences. A 1975 conference adopted a resolution on the status of "national liberation movements", and similar provisions were also adopted by the UNGA.

The national liberation movements that were recognized by the United Nations General Assembly as "legitimate representatives" of their peoples are: PAIGC of Guinea and Cabo Verde (1972–1975); FRELIMO of Mozambique (1972–1975); FNLA and MPLA of Angola (1972–1976); SWAPO of Namibia (1973–1990); ANC and PAC of South Africa (1973–1990); ZANU–PF, ZAPU, and UANC of Zimbabwe (1973–1980); PLO of Palestine (1974–2012); and Polisario Front of Western Sahara (1979–present).

Uniquely, the Polisario Front is the only remaining national liberation movement recognized by the United Nations General Assembly—an "oddity as an unresolved case of decolonization and national liberation"—though unlike SWAPO and the PLO, it has never been granted observer status. Since 1991, the UN is maintaining the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, which oversees a cease-fire between Morocco and the Polisario Front with the goal of conducting a referendum on the status of Western Sahara.

Current list

Notes

References

References

1. {{UN doc
2. {{UN doc
3. Offredo, Sébastien. (2024). "Accountability for Blood Phosphates: Western Sahara and Canadian Corporate Liability".
4. "A/RES/2918(XXVII)".
5. "A/RES/3280(XXIX)".
6. [http://legal.un.org/diplomaticconferences/repofstates_intlorgs-1975/vol_II_e.html United Nations Conference on the Representation of States in Their Relations with International Organizations, 1975, Volume II], page 190:"The following national liberation movements accepted this invitation: ..."
7. [http://legal.un.org/diplomaticconferences/repofstates_intlorgs-1975/repofstates_intlorgs-1975.html United Nations Conference on the Representation of States in Their Relations with International Organizations, 1975]
8. [https://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/43/a43r160.htm Observer status of national liberation movements recognized by the Organization of African Unity and/or by the League of Arab States]
9. {{UN document
10. (21 November 2014). "AAN 256/2014 - ECLI:ES:AN:2014:256A".
11. (12 February 2002). "Letter dated 29 January 2002 from the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, the Legal Counsel, addressed to the President of the Security Council".
12. (2007). "International Law and the Question of Western Sahara". International Platform of Jurists for East Timor.
13. (2020). "Western Sahara as a Hybrid of a Parastate and a State-in-Exile: (Extra)territoriality and the Small Print of Sovereignty in a Context of Frozen Conflict". [[Nationalities Papers]].
14. (2010). "Multilateralism and International Law with Western Sahara as a Case Study". [[University of South Africa]].
15. (16 July 2016). "Question of Western Sahara ''(continued''): Hearing of representatives of the Non-Self-Governing Territory".
16. "Observers".
17. "Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS)".
18. "Indonesia admitted to Melanesian Spearhead Group, West Papuan group given observer status".