V. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
441. The Ewe problem

The General Assembly, Noting the action[1] taken by the Trusteeship Council in respect of the Ewe unification movement and related questions in the Trust Territories of Togoland under French administration and Togoland under British administration, Noting, in particular, the endorsement[2] by the Trusteeship Council of the decision of the Administering Authorities concerned to establish an expanded Standing Consultative Commission for the purpose of ascertaining the real wishes and interests of the peoples concerned, and the expression[3] by the Council of the hope that the Administering Authorities would take all appropriate steps to ensure that the Commission would equitably represent the different sections and groups, Noting the complaints made by the President of the Comité de I'Unité togolaise in a petition to the Secretary-General (T/Pet.7/160-T/Pet.6/194; T/Pet.7/160-T/Pet.6/194/Add.1; T/Pet.7/160-T/Pet.6/194/Add.2; T/Pet.7/ 160-T/Pet.6/194/Add.3; T/Pet.7/160-T/Pet.6/194/Add.4; T/Ret.7/160-T/Ret.6/194/Add.5) against the methods of election prescribed by the Administering Authority of Togoland under French administration and the allegation that persons have been arrested and imprisoned because they wished to have indigenous customs observed in the elections, Noting the comments to the contrary contained in other related petitions (T/Pet.7/163-T/Pet.6/197;T/ Pet. 7/165-T/Pet.6/199; T/Pet.7/165-T/Pet.6/199/ Add.1), Noting the declarations[4] made on these matters by the representative of France in the Fourth Committee on 18 and 31 October 1950,

1. Recognizes the great importance of the Ewe problem, and impresses upon the Trusteeship Council and the Administering Authorities concerned the importance of finding an adequate solution as soon as possible and in full accordance with the real wishes and interests of the people concerned;

2. Impresses, in particular, upon the Administering Authorities the necessity of conducting elections to the Standing Consultative Commission in a democratic manner that will ensure a true representation of the people;

3. Recommends that the Administering Authority of Togoland under French administration investigate promptly the practices complained of in the petition of the President of the Comité de l'Unité togolaise and in other petitions on the subject with a view to ascertaining whether the methods of election which have been applied ensure that the views of all sections of the population are faithfully reflected, and report thereon to the next session of the Trusteeship Council for such action as the Council may consider appropriate in the light of the relevant discussions in the Fourth Committee and of the results of the investigations of the Administering Authority of Togoland under French administration;

4. Requests that the Trusteeship Council devote a special chapter or sub-chapter of its annual report to the next session of the General Assembly to setting forth all the steps undertaken in connexion with the Ewe question.

316th plenary meeting,
2 December 1950.


[1] See Trusteeship Council resolutions 14 (II), 108 (V) and 250 MO. [2] See Trusteeship Council resolution 250 (VII). [3] Ibid. [4] See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifth Session, Fourth Committee, 153rd and 162nd meetings.
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