The United Nations (UN) has had much success in helping free territories from the control of colonial powers. When the UN was founded in 1945, parts of Africa and Southeast Asia and many Pacific Islands fell under the category of Non-Self-Governing Territories. By 2005, more than 80 of these territories had become self-governing. Learn more about the progress that has been made, as well as the work that remains to be done, in The Birth of the UN, Decolonization, and Building Strong Nations, one of the titles in The United Nations series.