Question of Montserrat : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

  • Author: UN General Assembly (40th sess. : 1985-1986)
  • Document source:
  • Date:
    2 December 1985
 

Question of Montserrat

  The General Assembly, Having considered the question of Montserrat, 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, Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and all other resolutions and decisions of the United Nations relating to Montserrat, including in particular its resolution 39/36 of 5 December 1984, Noting the stated position of the administering Power that it will respect the wishes of the people of Montserrat in determining the future political status of the Territory, Noting the view of the Government of Montserrat that independence was inevitable and desirable and, in that connection, that the territorial Government would prepare programmes of political education by which to increase the people's awareness of the benefits of independence, Noting with concern that during the period under review the international economic crisis continued to have an adverse effect on the territorial economy and resulted in zero growth in the gross domestic product and a reduction in the rate of growth of employment and incomes, Welcoming the fact that an increasing number of people from the Territory are being employed in the civil service, particularly at the higher echelon, including the appointment of a national as Chief Medical Officer, and noting the recommendations for salary increases made by the Salaries Commission on public service salaries and conditions, Welcoming also the contribution to the development of the Territory by the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund and other specialized agencies and organizations of the United Nations system operating in the Territory, and noting the continued participation of the Territory in the Caribbean Group for Co-operation in Economic Development, as well as in regional organizations such as the Caribbean Community and its associated institutions, including the Caribbean Development Bank, Aware of the special circumstances of the geographical location and economic conditions of the Territory, and bearing in mind the necessity of diversifying and strengthening further its economy as a matter of priority in order to promote economic stability, Recalling the dispatch in 1975 and 1982 of United Nations visiting missions to the Territory, Mindful that visiting missions provide an effective means of ascertaining the situation in the small Territories, and expressing its satisfaction at the willingness of the administering Power to receive visiting missions in the Territories under its administration,

1. Approves 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 relating to Montserrat;

2. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Montserrat to self-determination and independence in conformity with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);

3. Reiterates the view that such factors as territorial size, geographical location, size of population and limited natural resources should in no way delay the speedy exercise by the people of the Territory of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in conformity with the Declaration, which fully applies to Montserrat;

4. Notes with appreciation the continued participation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as the administering Power, in the work of the Special Committee in regard to Montserrat, thereby enabling it to conduct a more informed and meaningful examination of the situation in the Territory with a view to accelerating the process of decolonization for the purpose of the full implementation of the Declaration;

5. Reiterates that it is the responsibility of the administering Power to create such conditions in Montserrat as will enable its people to exercise freely and without interference, from a well-informed standpoint as to the available options, their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), as well as all other relevant resolutions of the Assembly;

6. Reaffirms that it is ultimately for the people of Montserrat themselves to determine their future political status in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Declaration, and reiterates its call upon the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to launch programmes to foster an awareness among the people of Montserrat of the possibilities available to them in the exercise of their right to self-determination and independence;

7. Reaffirms the responsibility of the administering Power to promote the economic and social development of Montserrat and, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to continue to strengthen the economy and to increase its assistance to programmes of diversification in order to promote the economic and financial viability of the Territory;

8. Urges the administering Power to take the necessary measures in co-operation with the territorial Government to restore sustained and balanced growth to the economy of the Territory and to intensify its assistance in the development of all sectors thereof, which will benefit the people of the Territory;

9. Also urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to take effective measures to safeguard, guarantee and ensure the rights of the people of Montserrat to own and dispose of their natural resources and to establish and maintain control of their future development;

10. Urges the administering Power to continue, in co-operation with the territorial Government, the assistance necessary for the employment of the local population in the civil service, particularly at senior levels;

11. Calls upon the United Nations system of organizations, as well as donor Governments and regional organizations, to intensify their efforts to accelerate progress in the economic and social life of the Territory;

12. Considers that the possibility of sending a further visiting mission to Montserrat at an appropriate time should be kept under review;

13. Requests the Special Committee to continue the examination of this question at its next session, including the possible dispatch of a further visiting mission to Montserrat at an appropriate time and in consultation with the administering Power, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-first session..

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