evidence: GAVIN SHORT, identifying himself as a democratically elected representative of the Government and people of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), said his family has lived there for 174 years. The Falklands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom through choice, he stressed, highlighting that: "We are a multicultural and forward-looking democracy who have taken the Falklands from zero to a country that can now boast an A+ credit rating." Countering Argentina’s claim to sovereignty, he said that country has actively sought to undermine the Falkland Islands’ economy and taken direct actions against his State. Calling on the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to visit the Islands, he asked members to put politics aside and listen to what the people have to say about their lives and their future, and urged support for their right to self-determination.