Highlights of the U.N. Resolution:
Reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the people of French Polynesia to the ownership, control and disposal of their natural resources, including marine resources and undersea minerals, and the permanent sovereignty of the people to those resources.
Recognized the significant health and environmental impacts of nuclear testing conducted by the administering Power in the Territory over a 30-year period.
Directed the U.N. Secretary-General to provide continuous updates to his report on the environmental, ecological, health and other impacts of the 30-year period of nuclear testing in French Polynesia, with further details on the impacts of nuclear testing in the Territory, particularly on the consequences of exposure to atomic radiation.
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A/AC.109/2016/L.24
Distr.: Limited
27 June 2016
Original: English
Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples
Question of French
Polynesia
The General Assembly,
Having considered the question of French
Polynesia,
Having examined the 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 2016 relating to French Polynesia,[1]
Reaffirming the right of peoples to
self-determination, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in
accordance with all relevant resolutions, including General Assembly
resolutions 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 and 1541 (XV) of 15 December 1960,
Recalling its resolution 67/265 of 17
May 2013, entitled “Self-determination of French Polynesia”, in which it
affirmed the inalienable right of the people of French Polynesia to
self-determination and independence in accordance with Chapter XI of the
Charter and its resolution 1514 (XV), recognized that French Polynesia remains
a Non-Self-Governing Territory within the meaning of the Charter, and declared
that an obligation exists under Article 73 e
of the Charter on the part of the Government of France, as the administering Power
of the Territory, to transmit information on French Polynesia,
Taking note of the section related to
French Polynesia of the Final Document of the Seventeenth Ministerial
Conference of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, held in Algiers from 26 to
29 May 2014,[2]
Expressing concern that 56 years after
the adoption of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial
Countries and Peoples,[3] there
still remain 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories, including French Polynesia,
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, on a case-by-case basis and in
conformity with the clearly defined principles contained in General Assembly
resolutions 1514 (XV), 1541 (XV) and other relevant resolutions of the
Assembly,
Recognizing also that the specific
characteristics and the aspirations of the people of French Polynesia 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,
Reaffirming the inalienable rights of
the people of French Polynesia to the ownership, control and disposal of their
natural resources, including marine resources and undersea minerals,
Conscious of the responsibility of the
administering Power to ensure the full and speedy implementation of the
Declaration in respect of French Polynesia,
Mindful 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, on a case-by-case
basis, it is important for it to be apprised by the administering Powers and to
receive information from other appropriate sources, including the
representatives of the Territories, concerning the wishes and aspirations of
the people of the Territories,
Recognizing the significant health and
environmental impacts of nuclear testing conducted by the administering Power
in the Territory over a 30-year period, and recognizing also the concerns in
the Territory related to the consequences of those activities for the lives and
health of the people, especially children and vulnerable groups, as well as the
environment of the region, and bearing in mind General Assembly resolution
70/81 of 9 December 2015, entitled “Effects of atomic radiation”,
Recalling the report of the
Secretary-General on the environmental, ecological, health and other impacts of
the 30-year period of nuclear testing in French Polynesia,[4] prepared pursuant to paragraph 5 of General Assembly resolution
68/93 of 11 December 2013,
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,
1. Reaffirms
the inalienable right of the people of French Polynesia 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 it is ultimately for the people of French Polynesia 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 calls upon the administering Power, in
cooperation with the territorial Government and appropriate bodies of the
United Nations system, to develop political education programmes for the Territory
in order to foster an awareness among the people of French Polynesia 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;
3. Calls
upon the administering Power to participate in and cooperate fully with the
work 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 in order to implement the provisions of Article 73 e of the Charter and the Declaration and
in order to advise the Special Committee on the implementation of the
provisions under Article 73 b of the
Charter on efforts to promote self-government in French Polynesia, and
encourages the administering Power to facilitate visiting and special missions
to the Territory;
4. Regrets
that the administering Power has not responded to the request to submit
information on French Polynesia under Article 73 e of the Charter;
5. Reaffirms
that an obligation exists on the part of the administering Power to transmit
information under Chapter XI of the Charter, and requests the administering
Power to transmit to the Secretary-General such information on French Polynesia
as called for under the Charter;
6. Urges
the administering Power concerned to ensure the permanent sovereignty of the
people of French Polynesia over their natural resources, including marine
resources and undersea minerals, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of
the General Assembly;
7. Requests
the Secretary-General to provide continuous updates to his report on the
environmental, ecological, health and other impacts of the 30-year period of
nuclear testing in French Polynesia, with further details on the impacts of
nuclear testing in the Territory, particularly on the consequences of exposure
to atomic radiation;
8. Calls
upon the administering Power to intensify its dialogue with French
Polynesia in order to facilitate rapid progress towards a fair and effective
self-determination process, under which the terms and timelines for an act of
self-determination would be agreed;
9. Requests
the Special Committee to continue to examine the question of the
Non-Self-Governing Territory of French Polynesia and to report thereon to the
General Assembly at its seventy-second session.
[1] Official
Records of the General Assembly, Seventieth Session, Supplement No. 23 (A/71/23), chap. X.
[2] See A/68/966-S/2014/573, annex I.
[4] A/69/189.
