The European Union has backed a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a more equitable and accurate way of depicting the world on maps, with a particular focus on how Africa is represented, according to an EU statement delivered in New York.
The EU and its member states said they supported the initiative’s “scientific, educational and awareness-raising” purpose, and thanked Togo’s permanent mission to the United Nations for facilitating negotiations on the text, the European External Action Service (EEAS) informed on Friday.
It said it understood the resolution’s scope to be limited to cartographic representation for education, awareness-raising and geographical literacy — including showing the relative size of continental landmasses — rather than political questions.
EU says resolution does not affect borders or sovereignty
The resolution does not address sovereignty, territorial status, delimitation or internationally recognised borders anywhere in the world, the EU said.
It added that nothing produced under the resolution should be interpreted as recognising or supporting claims over disputed territories, changes to existing borders, or changes to the legal status of any territory.
The EU also stated that the resolution does not endorse any specific website, naming equal-earth.com as an example, including any maps hosted there.
Within the UN system, international boundaries and territorial status remain governed by established UN policies and authoritative references prepared by the UN Geospatial Information Section, the EU said, adding that the resolution should not be read as modifying or superseding those references.
The EU asked for its explanation of vote to be included in the official record of the meeting.
