Ecuador Calls for an End to Colonialism in the 21st Century

​ Ecuador was among many nations to urge the United States government to respect Puerto Rico’s right to independence calling for an end to 21st century colonialism at a meeting of the United Nations Special Committee on decolonization.

“We are living in the 21st century and it is embarrassing that society still has to talk about colonialism,” Ecuadorean Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Xavier Lasso told Andes news agency Wednesday.

Ecuador currently presides over the 29-member UN Special Committee on Decolonization, which adopted a new resolution supporting calls for Puerto Rican independence from the United States.

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During his remarks at the UN Special Committee, Lasso praised the new draft. “It serve as a step forward because it further urges the administrative power to deal with and work on the issue of Puerto Rico,” Lasso said alluding to the United States.

During the meeting, advocates in favor of Puerto Rican Independence such as the American Association of Jurists issued calls for independence, referring to the current political status of Puerto Rico as “an imperial situation.”