PUERTO RICO AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Quickly after Commonwealth is established, the U.S. notifies the United Nations that it will no longer submit information about Puerto Rico as is required for colonies. It maintains that the Island is now in a non-colonial association with the U.S., and the U.N. removes Puerto Rico from the list of non-self-governing territories.

In 1961, the U.N. passes Resolution 1514  declaring the right of all people to independence and calls for “the swift and unconditional end to colonialism in the world.” It sets up a Decolonization Committee to act on the resolution. But the U.S. insists that the Puerto Rican people "freely entered into a compact with the U.S. and freely adopted their own constitution.” Starting in 1973, the Decolonization Committee reviews Puerto Rico’s status and passes yearly resolutions requesting