2. Mr. DE ALBA (Mexico) thanked the Committee for its expressions of sympathy and added that the tragedy might serve to reaffirm national and international solidarity. STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN 3. The CHAIRMAN thanked the Committee for his nomination, which he accepted and which he took as recognition of the anti-colonialist action of Nicaragua, which for six years had been in revolt against tyranny, oppression, domination and dependence on foreigners and continued to struggle against the forces which wanted to turn back the pages of history to a past of terror and darkness. Nicaragua was aware of the dangers, for peace and international security, of the vestiges of colonialism. 4. The current year marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, which, together with the establishment in 1961 of the Special Committee on the implementation of that Declaration, had accelerated the decolonization process, allowing numerous peoples in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean to achieve independence, that constituted one of the most important achievements of the United Nations. 5. There still were some problems, however. Namibia, in particular, had seen a renewed awareness on the part of the international community of the dangerous situation created by the Government of South Africa, which refused to eliminate the apartheid system, insisted on illegally occupying Namibia and part of Angola and persisted in its attempts at aggression and destabilization against the front-line States. The refusal of South Africa to respect Security Council resolution 435 (1978) was a direct conseauence of the apartheid system. The Pretoria regime had failed in its attempt to link the independence of Namibia to the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola, and the international community had found the existence of the puppet Government in Namibia inadmissible. SWAPO would be able to continue 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a statement made by the Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee on the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. The statement discusses the importance of decolonization, the struggle for independence, and the ongoing issues related to colonialism and apartheid. It does not mention economic development, natural resources, or other specific sectors, but rather focuses on international relations, politics, and human rights.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, International relations