Questions of American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States Virgin Islands
General
The General Assembly,
Having considered the questions of the Non-Self-Governing
Territories of American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands,
the Cayman Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, the Turks and
Caicos Islands and the United States Virgin Islands, hereinafter referred to as
“the Territories”,
Having examined the relevant chapter of the report of the Special
Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration
on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples for 2014,[1]
Recalling all resolutions and decisions of the United Nations
relating to those Territories, including, in particular, the resolutions
adopted by the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session on the individual
Territories covered by the present resolutions,
Recognizing that all available options for self-determination of
the Territories are valid as long as they are in accordance with the freely
expressed wishes of the peoples concerned and in conformity with the clearly
defined principles contained in General Assembly resolutions 1514 (XV) of 14
December 1960, 1541 (XV) of 15 December 1960 and other resolutions of the
Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 1541 (XV), containing the principles that
should guide Member States in determining whether or not an obligation exists
to transmit the information called for under Article 73 e of the Charter of the United Nations,
Expressing concern that 54 years after the adoption of the
Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,[2] there still remain a number
of Non-Self-Governing Territories,
Conscious of the importance of continuing effective implementation
of the Declaration, taking into account the target set by the United Nations to
eradicate colonialism by 2020 and the plans of action for the Second[3] and Third International Decades for the Eradication
of Colonialism,
Recognizing that the specific characteristics and the aspirations
of the peoples of the Territories require flexible, practical and innovative
approaches to the options for self-determination, without any prejudice to
territorial size, geographical location, size of population or natural
resources,
Noting the stated position of the Government of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the stated position of the Government
of the United States of America on the Non-Self-Governing Territories under
their administration,
Noting also the constitutional developments in some
Non-Self-Governing Territories affecting the internal structure of governance
about which the Special Committee has received information,
Convinced that the wishes and aspirations of the peoples of the
Territories should continue to guide the development of their future political
status and that referendums, free and fair elections and other forms of popular
consultation play an important role in ascertaining the wishes and aspirations
of the people,
Convinced also that any negotiations to determine the status of a
Territory must take place with the active involvement and participation of the
people of that Territory, under the auspices of the United Nations, on a
case-by-case basis, and that the views of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing
Territories in respect of their right to self-determination should be
ascertained,
Noting that a number of Non-Self-Governing Territories have
expressed concern at the procedure followed by some administering Powers,
contrary to the wishes of the Territories themselves, of amending or enacting
legislation for application to the Territories, either through orders in
council, in order to apply to the Territories the international treaty
obligations of the administering Power, or through the unilateral application
of laws and regulations,
Aware of the importance of the international financial services and
tourism sectors for the economies of some of the Non-Self-Governing
Territories,
Noting the continued cooperation of the Non-Self-Governing
Territories at the local and regional levels, including participation in the
work of regional organizations,
Mindful that United Nations visiting and special missions provide
an effective means of ascertaining the situation in the Territories, that some
Territories have not received a United Nations visiting mission for a long time
and that no visiting missions have been sent to some of the Territories, and
considering the possibility of sending further visiting missions to the
Territories at an appropriate time, in consultation with the relevant
administering Powers and in accordance with the relevant resolutions and
decisions of the United Nations on decolonization,
Mindful also that, in order for the Special Committee to enhance
its understanding of the political status of the peoples of the Territories and
to fulfil its mandate effectively, it is important for it to be apprised by the
relevant administering Powers and to receive information from other appropriate
sources, including the representatives of the Territories, concerning the
wishes and aspirations of the peoples of the Territories,
Acknowledging the regular transmission by the administering Powers
to the Secretary-General of information called for under Article 73 e of the Charter,
Aware of the importance both to the Territories and to the Special
Committee of the participation of elected and appointed representatives of the
Territories in the work of the Committee,
Recognizing the need for the Special Committee to ensure that the
appropriate bodies of the United Nations actively pursue a public awareness
campaign aimed at assisting the peoples of the Territories in gaining a better
understanding of the options for self-determination,
Mindful, in that connection, that the holding of regional seminars
in the Caribbean and Pacific regions and at Headquarters, with the active
participation of representatives of the Non-Self-Governing Territories,
provides a helpful means for the Special Committee to fulfil its mandate and
that the regional nature of the seminars, which alternate between the Caribbean
and the Pacific, is a crucial element in the context of a United Nations
programme for ascertaining the political status of the Territories,
Noting the stated positions of the representatives of the
Non-Self-Governing Territories before the Special Committee and at its regional
seminars,
Welcoming the 2014 Pacific regional seminar held by the Special
Committee in Nadi, Fiji, from 21 to 23 May 2014, as a significant and
forward-looking event, which enabled the participants to assess the progress
made in the decolonization process and to review the existing working methods
of the Committee and renew its momentum in implementing its historic task,
Recognizing the importance of the conclusions and recommendations
adopted by the seminar, which are annexed to the report of the Special
Committee[4] and which outline the findings of the seminar,
including, especially, the way forward for the decolonization process within
the context of the proclamation by the General Assembly of the period 2011-2020
as the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism,
Conscious of the particular vulnerability of the Territories to
natural disasters and environmental degradation, and in that connection bearing
in mind the applicability to the Territories of the programmes of action or
outcome documents of all United Nations world conferences and special sessions
of the General Assembly in the economic and social spheres,
Noting with appreciation the contribution to the development of
some Territories by the specialized agencies and other organizations of the
United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Development Programme,
the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, as well as regional
institutions such as the Caribbean Development Bank, the Caribbean Community,
the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, the Pacific Islands Forum and the
agencies of the Council of Regional Organizations in the Pacific,
Recalling the statement made by the representative of the Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Caribbean regional
seminar held in Kingstown from 31 May to 2 June 2011 that all six Caribbean
Non-Self-Governing Territories are active associate members of the Commission,
Aware
that the Human Rights
Committee, as part of its mandate under the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights,[5] reviews the status of the
self-determination process, including in small island Territories under
examination by the Special Committee,
Recalling the ongoing efforts of the Special Committee in carrying
out a critical review of its work with the aim of making appropriate and
constructive recommendations and decisions to attain its objectives in
accordance with its mandate,
Recognizing that the annual working papers prepared by the
Secretariat on developments in each of the small Territories,[6] as well as the substantive
documentation and information furnished by experts, scholars, non-governmental
organizations and other sources, have provided important inputs to update the
present resolutions,
Recalling the report of the Secretary-General on the Second
International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism,[7]
1. Reaffirms
the inalienable right of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories to
self-determination, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations and with
General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), containing the Declaration on the
Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;
2. Also
reaffirms that, in the process of decolonization, there is no alternative
to the principle of self-determination, which is also a fundamental human
right, as recognized under the relevant human rights conventions;
3. Further
reaffirms that it is ultimately for the peoples of the Territories
themselves to determine freely their future political status in accordance with
the relevant provisions of
the Charter, the Declaration and the relevant resolutions of the General
Assembly, and in that connection reiterates its long-standing call for the
administering Powers, in cooperation with the territorial Governments and
appropriate bodies of the United Nations system, to develop political education
programmes for the Territories in order to foster an awareness among the people
of their right to self-determination in conformity with the legitimate political status options, based on the principles
clearly defined in Assembly resolution 1541 (XV) and other relevant resolutions
and decisions;
4. Stresses
the importance of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the
Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial
Countries and Peoples being apprised of the views and wishes of the peoples of
the Territories and enhancing its understanding of their conditions, including
the nature and scope of the existing political and constitutional arrangements
between the Non-Self-Governing Territories and their respective administering
Powers;
5. Requests
the administering Powers to continue to transmit regularly to the
Secretary-General information called for under Article 73 e of the Charter;
6. Calls
upon the administering Powers to participate in and cooperate fully with
the work of the Special
Committee in order to implement the provisions of Article 73 e of the Charter and the Declaration and
in order to advise the Committee on the implementation of the provisions under
Article 73 b of the Charter on
efforts to promote self-government in the Territories,
and encourages the administering Powers to facilitate visiting and special
missions to the Territories;
7. Reaffirms
the responsibility of the administering Powers under the Charter to promote the
economic and social development and to preserve the cultural identity of the
Territories, and, as a priority, to mitigate the effects of the current global
financial crisis where possible, in consultation with the territorial
Governments concerned, towards the strengthening and diversification of their
respective economies;
8. Requests
the Territories and the administering Powers to take all measures necessary to
protect and conserve the environment of the Territories against any
degradation, and once again requests the specialized agencies concerned to
continue to monitor environmental conditions in the Territories and to provide
assistance to those Territories, consistent with their prevailing rules of
procedure;
9. Welcomes
the participation of the Non-Self-Governing Territories in regional
activities, including the work of regional organizations;
10. Stresses
the importance of implementing the plans of action for the Second3
and Third International Decades for the Eradication of Colonialism, in
particular by expediting the application of the work programme for the
decolonization of each Non-Self-Governing Territory, on a case-by-case basis,
as well as by ensuring that periodic analyses are undertaken of the progress
and extent of the implementation of the Declaration in each Territory, and that
the working papers prepared by the Secretariat on each Territory should fully
reflect developments in those Territories;
11. Urges
Member States to contribute to the efforts of the United Nations to usher in a
world free of colonialism within the context of the International Decades for
the Eradication of Colonialism, and calls upon them to continue to give their
full support to the Special Committee in its endeavours towards that noble
goal;
12. Stresses
the importance of the various constitutional exercises in the respective
Territories administered by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland and the United States of America, and led by the territorial
Governments, designed to address internal constitutional structures within the
present territorial arrangements, and decides to follow closely the
developments concerning the future political status of those Territories;
13. Requests
the Secretary-General to continue to report to the General Assembly on a
regular basis on the implementation of decolonization resolutions adopted since
the declaration of the Third International Decade for the Eradication of
Colonialism;
14. Reiterates
its request that the Human Rights Committee collaborate with the Special
Committee, within the framework of its mandate on the right to
self-determination as contained in the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights,5
with the aim of exchanging information, given that the Human Rights Committee
is mandated to review the situation, including political and constitutional
developments, in many of the Non-Self-Governing Territories that are within the
purview of the Committee;
15. Requests
the Special Committee to continue to collaborate with the Economic and
Social Council and its relevant subsidiary intergovernmental bodies, within the
framework of their respective mandates, with the aim of exchanging information
on developments in those Non-Self-Governing Territories which are reviewed by
those bodies;
16. Also
requests the Special Committee to continue to examine the question of the
Non-Self-Governing Territories and to report thereon to the General Assembly at
its seventieth session and on the implementation of the present resolutions.
[1] Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-ninth Session,
Supplement No. 23 (A/69/23), chap. X.
[3] A/56/61, annex.
[4] Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-ninth Session,
Supplement No. 23 (A/69/23).
[6] A/AC.109/2014/3-11, 13 and 14.
[7] A/65/330 and Add.1.
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