List of active national liberation movements recognized by intergovernmental organizations

This is a list of active national liberation movements currently recognized by intergovernmental organizations.

Background

Only two national liberation movements have ever been granted observer status at the UN: the PLO in 1974 (led by Yasser Arafat, left) and SWAPO in 1976 (led by Sam Nujoma, right). ^{[1] [2]}

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. ^[3] 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. ^[4] 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. ^{[5] [6]} A 1975 conference adopted a resolution on the status of "national liberation movements", ^[7] and similar provisions were also adopted by the UNGA. ^{[8] [9]}

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). ^[3]

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. ^[3] 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

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

National liberation movement	People	Territory	Recognized by	Administrators	Notes
Polisario Front	Sahrawi people	Western Sahara	African Union United Nations	Spain (de jure) [a] Morocco (occupier)	The Polisario Front is recognized by the United Nations as the legitimate representative of the people of Western Sahara, and is occasionally invited to speak as the territory's representative before the Special Committee on Decolonization. [3] [15] The Polisario Front's Sahrawi Republic was admitted to the Organisation of African Unity as a member state in 1982, and co-founded its successor, the African Union.
Moro National Liberation Front	Moro people	Bangsamoro	Organisation of Islamic Cooperation	Philippines	The Moro National Liberation Front has participated as an observer organization at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation since 1977, [16] blocking the Philippines' entry.
Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front	Kanak people	New Caledonia	Melanesian Spearhead Group	France	The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front joined the Melanesian Spearhead Group as a member in 1989. [17]
United Liberation Movement for West Papua	Papuan people	West Papua		Indonesia	The United Liberation Movement for West Papua, a collective of organizations seeking West Papua's independence from Indonesia, joined the Melanesian Spearhead Group as an observer representing "Papuans living outside Indonesia" in 2015. [18]

See also

• United Nations list of non-self-governing territories
• Wars of national liberation
• Liberation movement
• African independence movements
• Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
• List of historical separatist movements
• Lists of active separatist movements
• Decolonisation of Africa
• Decolonization of Asia

Notes

1. In 1976, Spain withdrew from Western Sahara and informed the Secretary-General of the United Nations that it no longer considers itself responsible for the territory. Nonetheless, the criminal division of the Spanish National High Court ruled in 2014 that Spain remains as Western Sahara's de jure administering power. ^[10] This position is shared by the United Nations, the African Union, and several legal jurists. ^{[11] [12] [13]} Additionally, Spain continues to exert control over Western Saharan airspace. ^[14]

References

1. A/RES/3237(XXIX) {{{date}}}. Retrieved accessdate.
2. A/RES/31/152 {{{date}}}. Retrieved accessdate.
3. Offredo, Sébastien (2024). "Accountability for Blood Phosphates: Western Sahara and Canadian Corporate Liability" (PDF). McGill Centre for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism Working Paper Series 13/2. 12, 37–39.
4. "A/RES/2918(XXVII)".
5. "A/RES/3280(XXIX)".
6. 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. United Nations Conference on the Representation of States in Their Relations with International Organizations, 1975
8. Observer status of national liberation movements recognized by the Organization of African Unity and/or by the League of Arab States
9. United Nations General Assembly Session 43 Resolution160. A/RES/43/160 {{{date}}}. Retrieved accessdate.
10. "AAN 256/2014 - ECLI:ES:AN:2014:256A" (PDF). 21 November 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2025. In conclusion, Spain is still de jure, although not de facto, the Administering Power, and as such, until the end of the decolonization, has the obligations contained in articles 73 and 74 of the Charter of the United Nations.
11. United Nations Security Council Letter dated 29 January 2002 from the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, the Legal Counsel, addressed to the President of the Security CouncilS/2002/161 12 February 2002. Retrieved accessdate.
12. de Martín-Pinillos, Eduardo Trillo (2007). "Spain as Administering Power of Western Sahara". In Arts, Karin; Leite, Pedro Pinto (eds.). International Law and the Question of Western Sahara. Leiden: International Platform of Jurists for East Timor. ISBN   9892008200.
13. Fernández-Molina, Irene; Ojeda-García, Raquel (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 : 83–99. doi:10.1017/nps.2019.34. A number of jurists argue that Spain remains the de jure administering power of Western Sahara since the Madrid Accords violated Article 73 of the UN Charter and failed to be endorsed by the UN General Assembly. Such has been the position advocated by the African Union [...] since 2014.
14. Carlos, Ruiz Miguel (2010). "Spain's Legal Obligations as Administering Power of Western Sahara". In Oliver, Michele; van Tonder, Delarey; Botha, Neville (eds.). Multilateralism and International Law with Western Sahara as a Case Study. Pretoria: University of South Africa. ISBN   9781868886043. As far as airspace is concerned, the airspace of the Western Sahara is included in the Spanish airspace, and more precisely in the Canary Islands Flight Information Region. This means that Morocco requires Spanish permission for flights in this territory.
15. Question of Western Sahara (continued): Hearing of representatives of the Non-Self-Governing TerritoryA/AC.109/2016/SR.5 16 July 2016. Retrieved accessdate.
16. "Observers". Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
17. "Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS)" . Retrieved 9 July 2025.
18. "Indonesia admitted to Melanesian Spearhead Group, West Papuan group given observer status" . Retrieved 9 July 2025.

External links

• Representation of States in their relations with international organizations