The Special Political and Decolonization Committee (also known as SPECPOL, or the Fourth Committee) was originally created as one of the six main organs of the United Nations, tasked with helping former colonies and League of Nations territories in their transition to independence. By the end of the 1990’s, most former colonies had become independent, and the committee’s scope widened to cover a broad range of international topics. 

 

Today, anything not already under the purview of the other main committees would be addressed by the Fourth Committee, namely atomic radiation, arctic and outer-space treaties, land-mine removal, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and various questions of ethics. A meeting of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee will be likely to cover some of the murkiest moral questions in today’s politics, whether it’s at the border of a present-day territory or on an asteroid full of precious minerals.