Inauguration of 8th elected governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Photos by Overseas Territories Review

Governor Kenneth Mapp delivers Inaugural Address to the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands in official ceremonies at Emancipation Garden, St. Thomas. Governor Mapp is the eighth elected governor of the U.S. dependency which first elected its head of government in 1970. 

Governor Kenneth Mapp takes the oath of office as the eighth elected governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands during official Inauguration Ceremonies at Emancipation Garden, St. Thomas. He is joined by (British) Virgin Islands Premier D. Orlando Smith (left) and members of his family and close friends. 

Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter delivers official address at Inauguration Ceremonies in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. 

Lieutenant Governor Potter (centre) and outgoing Lieutenant Governor Gregory Francis (right) during Inaugural ceremonies.

Virgin Islanders view the Inaugural Parade in Charlotte Amalie,  St. Thomas.

St. Croix Majorettes march in Post-Inaugural Parade in Frederiksted, St. Croix. 

Crucians gather at Budhoe Park for Post Inaugural Ceremonies in Frederiksted, St. Croix. 

A St. Croix majorette marches in Post Inaugural Parade in Frederiksted, St. Croix.

Students participate in Post-Inaugural Parade in Frederiksted,  St. Croix.

Marching bands help commemorate the inaugural of  the eighth elected governor of the US. Virgin Islands.

Drummers add to the musical tribute to the new Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

More drummers add to the festive occasion.

Students march in Inaugural Parade in Frederiksted, St. Croix

A marching band shows off its musical prowess and marching skills. 

New U.S. Virgin Islands Government seeks resolution to closed petroleum refinery

V.I. to foreclose on HOVENSA, sue for breach of contract

BY JOY BLACKBURN 

VIRGIN ISLANDS DAILY NEWS 

January 16, 2015

Daily News file photo Gov. Kenneth Mapp announced Thursday that the V.I. government will foreclose on the shuttered HOVENSA oil refinery on St. Croix and sue HOVENSA and its owners for breach of contract.

ST. CROIX - Gov. Kenneth Mapp has directed the V.I. government's legal counsel to proceed with foreclosing on the HOVENSA property and to reopen a natural resources damages case against HOVENSA stemming from groundwater contamination.

During a press conference Thursday, he also announced plans to pursue claims against Hess Corp., HOVENSA and its owners for breach of contract stemming from their concession agreements with the government.

"The people of the Virgin Islands expect a full compliance with the obligations under our contracts and a complete cleanup of the South Shore of St. Croix as mandated - and we will pursue those claims to the fullest extent of the law," Mapp said.

However, he noted that the government remains open to a peaceful resolution to the issues.

"We are willing for a peaceful parting of the ways," he said. "But the obligations and the environmental damages to this territory cannot go unabated and will not go unresolved by the Mapp-Potter administration."

Thursday's press conference stemmed from a Wednesday meeting that Mapp had with representatives from Hess Corp., PDVSA and PDVSA V.I., HOVENSA LLC, and Lazard Freres & Co. They had requested the meeting, according to Mapp.

HOVENSA is a joint venture between HOVIC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hess Corporation, and PDVSA VI, a wholly owned subsidiary of the national oil company of Venezuela, Petroleos de Venezuela.

Attorney George Dudley, local counsel for HOVENSA and its owners, said Thursday afternoon that he will discuss the governor's announcement with his clients "and we will figure it out from there."

He declined comment on the Wednesday meeting with Mapp, instead deferring to the governor's comments.

HOVENSA and its owners typically do not comment on meetings with the governor, instead deferring to Government House to release information.

Holding $40 million hostage

Mapp described the meeting as "very cordial," but he said that at one point, Timothy Goodell, senior vice president of Hess Corp., indicated that if they are unable to get a buyer for the refinery, or if the government is unable to enter into an agreement with a potential buyer, the company would use the $40 million it owes the V.I. government as a settlement in a natural resources damages claim "to bring the plant to a mothball close and then seek to file bankruptcy."

"I was a bit dismayed at the comment and asked for some clarification. And it was restated," Mapp said.

The governor also said that he made it clear that the V.I. government views the obligations of HOVENSA and its owners as separate and apart from the potential sale of the refinery.

The owners can sell the refinery to whom they wish, he said, and the government will try to work out an operating arrangement with the prospective buyers.

"But we view that arrangement separate and apart from the outstanding claims, obligations, the environmental issues and the issues that are contained in all the concession agreements," Mapp said.

Alex Moorhead, a spokesman for HOVENSA, also declined comment on the government's plan take legal action.

The natural resources case

The $40 million HOVENSA and its owners owe the government is the amount still owed on a settlement that was reached in connection with one of the natural resources damages cases the V.I. Government brought several years ago against a number of companies that operated plants on St. Croix's South Shore.

The case against HOVENSA was over its contamination of groundwater.

As a settlement in that case, HOVENSA and its owners earlier this year agreed to pay the V.I. Government $43.5 million in damages, with $3.5 million paid up front and the $40 million balance to be paid by Dec. 31.

The owners put up a mortgage lien on the refinery and the property on it as security on the $40 million.

They did not pay the money by Dec. 31 - and still have not paid.

USVI legal actions

On Thursday morning, Mapp said that he directed Acting Attorney General Soraya Diase Coffelt to issue a notice of a breach of the settlement agreement immediately to Hess Oil and to PDVSA. He also said he directed her to advise the District Court of the matter, and file a motion to reopen the litigation on the groundwater contamination issues.

And he told her to proceed with the foreclosure action, he said.

"I am instructing the attorney general to foreclose on the note and to take every legal action to seize the assets and security instruments contained at Estate Hope," Mapp said.

Although Diase Coffelt resigned later in the day on Thursday over what was described as a "staffing conflict," Mapp said in a press release that there would be no break in the government's stance regarding litigation issues discussed in the press conference.

"I have also directed staff to identify a law firm on the U.S. mainland that is very experienced in dealing with these kinds of matters, particularly as it relates to oil, gas and refining, because we also have the issues of the breach under the concession agreement," Mapp said at Thursday's press conference.

The notification of breach advises HOVENSA and its owners that no fixture, properties or assets are to be removed without a written request and approval from the government.

Other issues

The government contends there have been multiple breaches by Hess and HOVENSA in the concession agreements the refinery owners have had with the government over the years.

"We will also take on the issues of the breaches in the original concession agreement and the four amendments thereto, that there are a number of obligations that the company has there," Mapp said. "And we will undertake to pursue our claims, rights and privileges under those concession agreements."

Mapp said Thursday that during Wednesday's meeting, he made it clear to Hess that "we got along, but we're really at a stage of a divorce.

"And while we are open and prepared for a peaceful and amicable divorce, a long protracted and expensive litigation does not daunt our resolve that the rights and obligations to the people of the Virgin Islands must be fulfilled," he said.

Unknown costs

Officials said they do not know what the price tag for the litigation might be - or how long it might take.

"I don't know how much it will cost," Mapp said. "The question is how much will it cost us if we just sit down and continue to be abused."

He said the government is not at the point of asking how much it will cost.

"We're at the point of saying there are responsibilities and obligations that any company doing business like that in any community must face," he said. "And this government is saying that we expect Hess Oil and its partners to fulfill those duties and responsibilities."

He contended that the territory delivered on its part of the bargain with HOVENSA and "it is now time for Hess Oil, HOVIC, HOVENSA, and PDVSA to deliver on its part of the promise."

The $40 million that was not paid, though, was money the cash-strapped V.I. Government was counting on.

The unpaid settlement money already is budgeted as revenue for the current fiscal year.

Civil Society supports International Decade for African Descendants

Statement by Dr. Barryl A. Biekman

Civil Society Speaker

Launching International Decade for People of African descent

United Nations

New York

December, 10, 2014

Mr. President, Excellencies, Honoured Guests, Representatives of the African Families and Civil Society,

I bring you greetings from the members of Tiye International, The African European Women ' s ' Movement "Sophiedela", the Platform of the Dutch Slavery Past, the Global Coalition for the International Decade for People of African descent 1/ and the world wide Civil Society grassroots African families on this historical moment of the launching of the International Decade for People of African descent.

Mr. President,

We support the International Decade for People of African descent and it’s Mandate to follow the recommendations pertaining to the DDPA from the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance (WCAR), as well as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

It must be reminded here that the decision to have the International Decade did not come as a gift from heaven. It came only because of a long struggle by Pan Africanist supported by those civil society organizations who were committed to the implementation of the DDPA and finally because of the hard working involvement of the Working Group of Experts on People of African descent, a special thanks goes to dr. Mireille Fanon and Professor dr. Verene Shepherd and not to forget the support of the African Group and the great majority of member states of the United Nations. A special thanks therefore goes to the African countries for their role in defending the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and to the African Union to declare African Diaspora worldwide family as their 6th region.

The launching of the Decade today is a great victory for the cause of justice with the strong reaffirmation of and call for the full and effective implementation of the DDPA. We hope that the implementation of the Decade should put a final end to the opposition against, undermining of and false promotion regarding the Durban follow-up process which we have regularly witnessed since the successful World Conference Against Racism in 2001.

At the center of the demands during the World Conference Against Racism, by African people and in diaspora under the leadership of the 12th December Reparation Movement and many other Pan African Reparation Coalitions, was the declaration of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, slavery, colonialism and apartheid as crimes against humanity. In fact it was the longest and most depraved crime against humanity ever.. which lasted for more than three centuries as had been declared by the United Nations including the republic Suriname by its Permanent Delegation, ambassador Udenhout in 2001. The trans-Atlantic slave trade, slavery, colonialism and apartheid destroyed the development of Africa and enriched Europe and the European colonists in the Americas. It established the system of racism & racial discrimination, to be specific Afrophobia, that effects and has its impact what the African people and in diaspora experience until today.

Mr. President,

Really, we have reasons to be glad with the establishment of the Decade. But we have reasons to be disappointed too. Because despite of the adoption of the Programme of Activities by the General Assembly last month, powerful State actors, including those who boycotted the 2009 Durban Review Conference and the 2011 commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the DDPA,. continue their efforts to render the DDPA impotent.

We deplore the 9 votes cast against and 42 abstentions cast, but salute the 121 votes in favor of the resolution on actions against racism and comprehensive implementation of the DDPA, which the Third Committee of the General Assembly approved on November 26nd. At the same time we are bewildered that abstaining countries succeeded to delete a paragraph from the G77 draft resolution, which had the support of the majority of countries and which stated: "Commends the constructive role played by non-governmental organizations in participating in the Durban follow-up mechanisms and the Human Rights Council, which has greatly contributed to the development of the Programme of Activities and the preparation for the International Decade."

Mr. President,

 Truth has the inherent power to produce the promised effects. The full and irrevocable recognition by all countries that the trans-Atlantic slave trade, slavery, colonialism and apartheid was a crime against humanity is necessary for the credibility of the Decade. Without that we have reason to doubt the sincerity of states to restore the rights of people of African descent during the Decade. It is why I on behalf of the African descent worldwide families challenge all national state parliaments and governments to officially recognize and declare the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity as some countries have already done. We call on all the countries who organized, participated in and profited from the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the hard slave labour by the kidnapped African ancestors to present their sincere apologies as the first step and I challenge all governments and parliaments concerned, to act on this urgent matter.

We strongly welcome the efforts by Caribbean governments & states to place the issue of Reparations on the International Agenda. For the African descendants families the adopted theme of the Decade, "Recognition, Justice, Development", is for us synonymous with the Repairing of the damage, which must become the overall concept of the Decade. Reparations is not limited to material repair, but something more fundamental relating to restoring every aspect of the rights of people of African descent.

Mr. President,

We therefore invite all Member States, as proposed by the Global Coalition for the International Decade for People of African Descent, to recognize and honour the Decade as the "Reparation Decade".

We believe that the right of People of African descent to learn about their rights as enshrined in the DDPA and other Human Rights instruments must be assured during the Decade. The Decade must become a framework to address the concentration of misery and disadvantages which people of African descent face everywhere they live: poverty, racial discrimination and lack of access to human rights & their institutions, high rates of unemployment and imprisonment, vulnerability to violence and lack of access to justice, lack of access to good education, healthcare, housing, multiple forms of discrimination, and political and economic marginalization and stigmatization.

As educators and scholars across the racial divide agree that (a) the primary purpose of education is to uplift and enhance the lives of all individuals (b) it must be the right type of education that engenders positive identity, self-esteem, self-confidence including love, respect and appreciation for one's history and culture. We therefore call for adapting both formal and informal education for students of African descent and others so that that it no longer marginalizes and relegates Africa and Africans to periphery of anything important, but for most that our next African generations can say: “I’m not afraid, because of the color of my skin, to be an African…., I’m proud to be an African…….”.

Mr. President,

We have seen the situation faced by people of African descent around the world grow more and more precarious.. and we seek urgent and concrete results from the International Decade. African Diaspora Civil Society grassroots organizations cannot afford to leave any members of the African Diaspora and African Civil Society around the world behind. Every forum, every workshop, every review and assessment, every planning session and every on-the-ground implementation project must closely involve representatives from Civil Society and the grassroots communities. And we cannot stress enough the importance of always including women, girls and young male adults, the future generation, on an equal basis. To leave them behind would be as to leave our hearts and souls, our very selves, behind as well.

When an African American man is strangled to death by the police on the streets of New York we the people of African descent feel the same that we cannot breathe. We add our voices in solidarity with all those demonstrating to demand justice for the victims of racially based police brutality. This situation makes it clear that institutionalized racism is still alive and that the campaigns against all forms of multiple racism & racial profiling as well the symbolic & psychological violence situation in different countries must be intensified. Whether the ' Black Pete figure ' in the yearly Dutch Santa Claus culture historical tradition is just a problem in the Netherlands because of the revival of stereotype of African (black) people or interlinked to similar historical cultural tradition, stereotypical language like some people continue to call us ’nigger’ & racist situations in other parts of Europe and the rest of the world.

Mr. President,

On behalf of the world wide African diaspora families I invite all of you to join hands with us for the implementation of the Programme of Activities in the spirit of "Recognition, Justice and Development." Because this Decade requires the committed support and involvement of all: international, regional, national, sectors of society, stakeholders and people of good will in the world.

I invite you all to make this “Reparation Decade” a great success.

I thank you Mr. President.

_______________

1 / The Global Coalition for the International Decade for People of African Descent is established to provide global peoples activism 

and support for the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent as proclaimed by the United Nations 

for the period 2015-2024 based on the principles of Recognition, Justice and Development.

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U.N.: For Caribbean, Pacific dependencies, self-determination is a" fundamental human right" under human rights conventions

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.

      [2]  Resolution 1514 (XV).

      [3]  A/56/61, annex.

      [4]  Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-ninth Session, Supplement No. 23 (A/69/23).

      [5]  See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.

      [6]  A/AC.109/2014/3-11, 13 and 14.

      [7]  A/65/330 and Add.1.