Question of the future of Ruanda-Urundi

XVI. RESOLUTION ADOPTED ON THE REPORT OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
1743. Question of the future of Ruanda-Urundi

The General Assembly, Having considered the report of the United Nations Commission for Ruanda-Urundi[1] and having heard the representatives of Ruanda-Urundi, of the Administering Authority and the petitioners, Recalling its resolutions 1579 (XV) and 1580 (XV) of 20 December 1960, and 1605 (XV) of 21 April 1961, Bearing in mind the provisions of its Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples contained in resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, Taking into account the observations of the Commission concerning the pre-electoral conditions and the atmosphere prevailing in Rwanda and in Burundi and the physical organization of the electoral operations in both parts of the Territory, Noting with satisfaction the agreement concluded on 8 February 1962 between the Government of Rwanda and the opposition party, the Union nationale rwandaise,[2] Considering that the return and resettlement in Rwanda of thousands of refugees have not been possible and that a large number of them are still living outside their homeland, Reaffirming its conviction that the best future of Ruanda-Urundi lies in the emergence of a single State with economic unity, common defence and external relations, without prejudice to the internal autonomy of Rwanda and Burundi, Desirous of ensuring that Ruanda-Urundi accedes to independence in the most favourable conditions as soon as possible,

1. Expresses its appreciation to the United Nations Commission for Ruanda-Urundi and to the Special Commission for the Amnesty established under General Assembly resolution 1605 (XV) and their staffs for the performance of the tasks entrusted to them, and congratulates the peoples of Ruanda-Urundi, the political leaders, the representatives of the Administering Authority, all those who co-operated effectively with the Commissions;

2. Decides to establish a Commission for Ruanda-Urundi - composed of five Commissioners representing five Member States to be elected by the General Assembly - which may, whenever it deems it advisable, invite the representatives of the Administering Authority and of the Governments of Rwanda and Burundi to attend its meetings;

3. Requests the Commission to proceed immediately to the Territory with a view to ensuring the achievement, with the full co-operation of the Administering Authority and national authorities, of the following objectives:

(a) The reconciliation of the various political factions in the Territory;

(b) The return and resettlement of all refugees;

(c) The guaranteeing of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and association and political activity in peaceful conditions;

(d) The maintenance of law and order;

(e) Arrangements for the training of indigenous forces with the help of experts or a training mission provided by the United Nations, and the rapid withdrawal of Belgian military and paramilitary forces, to be completed before independence, with the exception of such personnel whose retention, in the view of the Commission in consultation with the authorities of Ruanda-Urundi and the Administering Authority and without prejudice to the sovereign rights of the future independent Ruanda-Urundi and subject to the latter's subsequent ratification, may be considered necessary as an interim measure;

4. Requests the Commission to convene as soon as possible, at Addis Ababa, a high-level conference presided over by the Chairman of the Commission and composed of five representatives each of the Government of Rwanda and Burundi headed by their respective Chiefs of Government, with a view to finding a mutually acceptable formula for the creation of the closest possible form of political, economic and administrative union, the role of the Commission being to endeavour to reconcile the points of view of the two Governments and to put forward such concrete proposals as would lead to the achievement of the aforementioned objective; in this task the Commission will, at its request, be provided by the Secretary-General with the assistance of judicial, financial and economic, military and police, and technical assistance advisers;

5. Requests the Commission to see that all powers of internal autonomy are transferred to the Governments of Rwanda and Burundi at a date not later than 30 April 1962;

6. Further requests the Commission to submit a report, before 1 June 1962, to the General Assembly at its resumed sixteenth session in respect of the progress made towards the achievement of the objectives stated in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 above, such report to include recommendations as to:

(a) The necessary arrangements and modalities for the final transfer of power;

(b) The assistance that the United Nations can provide to deal with the social and economic problems of the Territory;

(c) The time-table for the withdrawal of the personnel, if any, retained as an interim measure under paragraph 3 (e) above;

7. Envisages setting 1 July 1962 as the date for the termination of the Trusteeship Agreement, subject to General Assembly approval upon examination of the report of the Commission at the resumed sixteenth session, which the Assembly decides to call in the first week of June 1962 to consider exclusively the question of Ruanda-Urundi;

8. Considers that the implementation of the provisions of the present resolution will ensure the emergence of Ruanda-Urundi to independence in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity and the termination of the Trusteeship Agreement at the resumed session envisaged in paragraph 7 above;

9. Requests the Administering Authority and appeals to the Governments and people of Ruanda-Urundi to co-operate fully with the Commission in the performance of its tasks;

10. Decides to maintain this item on the agenda of the present session without closing the debate thereon and authorizes the Commission, should circumstances so require, to return to United Nations Headquarters and request the President of the General Assembly immediately to reconvene the Assembly to consider exclusively the question of Ruanda-Urundi;

11. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Commission with the necessary facilities and assistance in the performance of its tasks, and, in particular, to provide experts and military observers for the purposes envisaged in paragraphs 3 (d) and (e) and 4 of the present resolution.

1106th plenary meeting,
23 February 1962. At its 1106th plenary meeting, on 23 February 1962, the General Assembly elected, by secret ballot, the members of the Commission for Ruanda-Urundi established under paragraph 2 of the above resolution. The Commission is composed of five Commissioners re-presenting the following Member States: HAITI, IRAN, LIBERIA, MOROCCO and TOGO.

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[1] Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixteenth Session, Annexes, addendum to agenda item 49 (A/4994 and Add.1 and Corr.1). [2] Ibid., agenda item 49, document A/C.4/532.