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A unilateral declaration of independence ( UDI ) is a variant declaration of independence that is established when the government of a constituent entity of a sovereign state declares itself independent from that state, and declares itself a sovereign state, without having a formal agreement with the state that the constituent entity declared its secession from.

It was first formally recognized and described as UDI when Rhodesia declared independence in 1965 from the United Kingdom ( UK ) without an agreement with the UK.

Other prominent recognized historical UDI examples include the that of the United States in 1776, and that of the Republic of Kosovo in 2008.