Question of American Samoa, Guam, New Hebrides, Pitcairn, St. Helena and Solomon Islands

XXIX. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
3290. Question of American Samoa, Guam, New Hebrides, Pitcairn, St. Helena and Solomon Islands

The General Assembly, Having considered the question of American Samoa, Guam, New Hebrides, Pitcairn, St. Helena and Solomon Islands, Having examined the relevant chapters 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,[1] Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and its resolution 2621 (XXV) of 12 October 1970, containing the programme of action for the full implementation of the Declaration, as well as all other resolutions relating to the Territories listed above, in particular resolution 3156 (XXVIII) of 14 December 1973, Taking into account the statements of the administering Powers relating to developments in the above mentioned Territories, including those relating to the Solomon Islands and New Hebrides,[2] Noting with deep concern the slow progress in the full implementation of the Declaration with respect to those Territories, notwithstanding the encouraging but limited political and constitutional development which has recently taken place in some of the Territories, Noting with satisfaction the continued active participation of the United States of America in the work of the Special Committee relating to the Territories concerned and welcoming the positive decision of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take part in the relevant work of the Special Committee and to permit United Nations visiting missions access to the Territories under its administration, as appropriate, Deploring the continued refusal of the Government of France, in contravention of the provisions of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, to co-operate with the Special Committee in its examination of the Territory of the New Hebrides, Deeply deploring the policy of those administering Powers which continue to maintain military bases in some of the Territories under their administration, in contravention of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, Concerned that the economies of the Territories listed above are based mainly on either single cash products, such as copra or phosphates, or on military activities, Deploring also the negative attitude of the administering Powers concerned with respect to the receiving of United Nations visiting missions in the Territories under their administration, Bearing in mind the constructive results achieved as a consequence of previous visiting missions to colonial Territories, including those dispatched by the Special Committee in 1974 to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands and Niue,[3] and reiterating its conviction that the dispatch of visiting missions to the Territories dealt with in the present resolution is indispensable for securing adequate and first-hand information in regard to the political, economic and social conditions in the Territories and to the views, wishes and aspirations of the peoples therein, Deeply concerned at the testing of nuclear weapons which continued to take place in 1974 in the South Pacific, despite the strong opposition to such testing as evidenced in resolution 3156 (XXVIII) and in the relevant chapters of the report of the Special Committee, and as expressed by the peoples of the South Pacific, including those of the Non-Self-Governing Territories in the region, Mindful that the Territories listed above require the continued attention and assistance of the United Nations in the achievement by their peoples of the objectives embodied in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Aware of the special circumstances of the geographical location and the economic conditions of the Territories,

1. Approves the chapters 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 relating to the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, New Hebrides, Pitcairn, St. Helena and Solomon Islands;[4]

2. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the peoples of those Territories to self-determination and independence in accordance with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;

3. Reaffirms its conviction that the questions of territorial size, geographical isolation and limited resources should in no way delay the implementation of the Declaration with respect to the Territories concerned;

4. Calls upon the administering Powers concerned to take all the necessary steps, without further delay, to ensure the full and speedy attainment of the goals set forth in the Declaration with respect to the Territories and, in that regard, to establish, in consultation with the freely elected representatives of the people, a specific time-table for the free exercise by the peoples of the Territories of their right to self-determination and independence;

5. Strongly deprecates any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of colonial Territories establishment of military bases and installations in those Territories as being incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);

6. Calls upon the Governments of France and the United States of America, as the administering Powers concerned, to reconsider their attitude towards receiving United Nations visiting missions and to permit access by such missions to the Territories under their administration;

7. Calls upon the Government of France, as an administering Power, to participate in the relevant proceedings of the Special Committee concerning the Territory of the New Hebrides and, in particular, to report to the Special Committee on the implementation of the present resolution;

8. Calls upon the administering Powers concerned to take all possible measures to diversify the economies of the Territories listed above;

9. Urges the administering Powers to safeguard the inalienable right of the peoples of those Territories to the enjoyment of their natural resources by taking effective measures which guarantee the rights of the peoples to own and dispose of those natural resources and to establish and maintain control of their future development;

10. Reiterates its deep concern at the testing of nuclear weapons which continued to take place in 1974 in the South Pacific, despite the strong opposition to such testing as evidenced in General Assembly resolution 3156 (XXVIII) and in the relevant chapters of the report of the Special Committee, and as expressed by the peoples of the South Pacific, including those of the Non-Self-Governing Territories in the region;

11. Requests the organizations of the United Nations system to assist in accelerating progress in all sectors of the national life of the Territories listed above;

12. Invites the Secretary-General, having regard to the mandate entrusted to him by the General Assembly in its resolution entitled "Dissemination of information on decolonization"[5] to pay particular regard to the need to intensify widespread dissemination of information on the process of decolonization in respect of the Territories listed above and, in particular, to consider intensifying the activities of the information centres concerned;

13. Requests the Special Committee to continue to give full consideration to this question, including in particular the dispatch of visiting missions to the Territories, as appropriate, and to report to the General Assembly at its thirtieth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

2318th plenary meeting
13 December 1974

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[1] Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-ninth Session, Supplement No. 23 (A/9623/Rev.1), chaps. III, X, XV, XVII and XXI. [2] See A/AC.109/SC.3/SR.207-2l0 and 214, A/AC.109/ PV.976 and Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-ninth Session, Fourth Committee, 2116th meeting. [3] See Official Records of the General Assembly, Twentyninth Session. Supplemnt No. 23 (A/9623/Rev.1), chap. XX, annex, chap. XXI, annex I, and chap. XXII, annex I. [4] Ibid., chaps. X, XV, XVII and XXI. [5] Resolution 3329 (XXIX).