Question of Papua New Guinea

XXVI. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
2865. Question of Papua New Guinea

The General Assembly, Recalling the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Recalling its previous resolutions concerning Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea, in particular resolutions 2590 (XXIV) of 16 December 1969 and 2700 (XXV) of 14 December 1970, Having considered the report of the Trusteeship Council covering the period from 20 June 1970 to 18 June 1971[1] and 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,[2] Having heard the statement of the representative of the administering Power,[3] Taking into account the conclusions and recommendations of the Special Committee and the Trusteeship Council regarding developments in Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea, Noting in particular the express desire of the people of Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea for national unity and independence as a single political and territorial entity, Taking note of the decision of the House of Assembly of Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea that the Territory formed from the administrative union of those two Territories should be named Papua New Guinea, Bearing in mind the decisions taken during 1971 by the House of Assembly of Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea and the administering Power with regard to the attainment of full internal self government during the period 1972-1976, and the affirmation by the Government of Australia, as the administering Power, that the interval between the attainment of full self-government and independence will be a matter to be determined by the then Government of Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea, Noting further the decision of the Government of Australia to invite a special mission of the Trusteeship Council, including two members of the Special Committee, to observe the elections to the Third House of Assembly of Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea in 1972, Mindful of the responsibility of the United Nations to render all help to the people of Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea in their efforts freely to decide their own future,

1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea to self-determination and independence in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) and the Trusteeship Agreement of 13 December 1946;

2. Decides that, in accordance with the express desire of the people of the Territories, the name to be applied for United Nations purposes to the Territory of Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea shall henceforth be "Papua New Guinea";

3. Calls upon the administering Power to take all necessary steps to ensure the speedy attainment by Papua New Guinea of self-government and independence as a single political and territorial entity 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 people of Papua New Guinea of their right to self-determination and independence;

4. Urges the administering Power to discourage separatist movements and to ensure that the unity of Papua New Guinea is preserved throughout the period leading up to independence;

5. Requests the Trusteeship Council, while continuing to exercise its specific responsibilities towards the Trust Territory of New Guinea, and the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to bear in mind the need to consider Papua New Guinea as a single political and territorial entity and to take account of this when determining the itineraries of future visiting missions in consultation with the administering Power;

6. Further requests the Trusteeship Council to continue to include non-members of the Trusteeship Council in its periodic visiting missions on the basis recommended in General Assembly resolution 2590 (XXIV);

7. Welcomes the invitation extended by the administering Power to the Trusteeship Council to dispatch a special mission to observe the elections to the Papua New Guinea House of Assembly in 1972 and the fact that the mission will be composed as recommended in General Assembly resolution 2590 (XXIV);

8. Recommends that the report of this special mission and those of future missions should be submitted both to the Trusteeship Council and to the Special Committee;

9. Urges the administering Power to intensify its programme of political education in Papua New Guinea and to expedite the implementation of the programme for accelerated localization of the Papua New Guinea public service;

10. Requests the administering Power further to intensify and extend the educational services, including technical and administrative training, provided for the people of Papua New Guinea;

11. Further requests the administering Power to continue to expand the measures being taken to promote ownership, management and participation by the inhabitants of Papua New Guinea in enterprises throughout all sectors of the economy;

12. Requests the administering Power to report to the Trusteeship Council and the Special Committee on the implementation of the present resolution;

13. Requests the Trusteeship Council and the Special Committee to continue to examine this question and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its twenty-seventh session.

2028th plenary meeting,
20 December 1971.

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[1] Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 4 (A/8404). [2] Ibid., Supplement No. 23 (A/8423/Rev.1), chaps. IV and XIX. [3] Ibid., Twenty-sixth Session, Fourth Committee, 1956th meeting.