Exhibition marks 60 years since Gibraltar first spoke up at UN

The caretaker Deputy Chief Minster, Dr Joseph Garcia, officially opened an exhibition to mark the 60th anniversary of the appearance of petitioners from Gibraltar before the United Nations for the first time.

The exhibition has been curated by Acting Archivist Gerard Wood assisted by the team at the Archives and by volunteers.

The exhibition consists of a selection of 210 curated images, ranging from photos and documents to press clippings.

The objective is to explain how the United Nations came into being post-World War II and how Gibraltar came to be a subject for the Committee of 24.

The exhibits show how the visit by the then Joshua Hassan and Peter Isola to the United Nations in New York on the 19th of September 1963, exactly sixty years ago today, was formative for the Gibraltarians as a people.

The content also consists of exclusive audio and video footage from 1963, which is available at the venue.

Such content is supported with primary sources belonging to the event in the form of documents and artefacts, which are held at the Gibraltar National Archives.

“I was delighted to open this exhibition earlier today. Sir Joshua Hassan and Peter Isola made history, on this day in September 1963, when they first addressed the Committee of 24 [at] the United Nations,” Dr Garcia said during the opening on Tuesday evening.

“This was, undoubtedly, the first time that Gibraltar and the Gibraltarians found their place and spoke out on the international stage.”

“As the Government of Gibraltar continues its work in attempting to delist us from the United Nations List of Non-Self-Governing Territories, it is important that we reflect on our journey as a people through exhibitions such as these.”

“I would like to thank the acting Archivist, Mr Gerard Wood, and his team for their great work in making this exhibition a reality.”