Question of Montserrat : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

  • Author: UN General Assembly (39th sess. : 1984-1985)
  • Document source:
  • Date:
    5 December 1984
 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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 38/46 of 7 December 1983, Noting the statement of the representative of the administering Power relating to the Territory, in which he said that his Government would respect the wishes of the people of Montserrat in determining the future political status of the Territory, Noting the statement of the Government of Montserrat that independence was inevitable and desirable and that the Government would work towards that end, Reaffirming the responsibility of the administering Power for the economic and social development of the Territory, Noting with concern that during the period under review the general slowdown in the world economy also affected Montserrat, particularly in its vital sectors, such as tourism, construction, agriculture and manufacturing, Welcoming the establishment of the Civil Service Training Centre and noting that the review of the organization and training needs of the civil service was expected to be completed in 1984, Welcoming the contribution to the development of the Territory by the United Nations Development Programme and those specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system operating in Montserrat and noting in particular the increase envisaged by the Programme for the period 1982-1986, Aware of the special problems facing the Territory by virtue of its isolation, small size, limited resources and lack of infrastructure, 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,

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 contained in General Assembly resolution

1514 (XV), 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 of political education so that the people of Montserrat will be fullly informed of the options available to them in the exercise of their right to self-determination and independence;

7. Calls upon the administering Power, 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, and expresses the hope that Montserrat's non-budgetary grant-in-aid status can be maintained;

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. Further urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to continue to provide the assistance necessary for the localization of the civil service at all levels, particularly the senior levels;

11. Takes note of the continued participation of the Territory in the work of the Caribbean Group for Co-operation and Economic Development, as well as such regional organizations as the Caribbean Community and the Caribbean Development Bank, and calls upon the organizations of the United Nations system, 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 fortieth session.

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