Policies of apartheid of the Government of South Africa

 

XXVII. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE SPECIAL POLITICAL COMMITTEE
2923. Policies of apartheid of the Government of South Africa

A MALTREATMENT AND TORTURE OF PRISONERS AND DETAINEES

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 2764 (XXVI) of 9 November 1971 concerning the maltreatment and torture of opponents of apartheid in South Africa and the persecution of religious leaders opposed to that policy, Having considered the report of the Special Committee on Apartheid entitled "Maltreatment and torture of prisoners in South Africa",[1] submitted in pursuance of that resolution, Expressing grave concern over any and every act of maltreatment and torture of opponents of apartheid in South Africa, and over the deaths while in detention of a number of detainees,

1. Calls upon the Government of South Africa immediately to put an end to all forms of physical and mental torture and other acts of terror against opponents of apartheid under detention or imprisonment and to punish the perpetrators of such criminal acts;

2. Requests the Special Committee on Apartheid to follow the situation and take appropriate steps to promote an international campaign for an end to repression, maltreatment and torture of opponents of apartheid under detention or imprisonment in South Africa;

3. Requests the Secretary-General:

(a) To publicize the report of the Special Committee on Apartheid on maltreatment and torture of prisoners and detainees and all other available information concerning this matter;

(b) To transmit the report of the Special Committee to the Commission on Human Rights and to appropriate international non-governmental organizations.

2085th plenary meeting
15 November 1972

B UNITED NATIONS TRUST FUND FOR SOUTH AFRICA

The General Assembly, Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Trust Fund for South Africa,[2] to which is annexed the report of the Committee of Trustees of the United Nations Trust Fund for South Africa, Recalling that, in paragraph 6 of Security Council resolution 311 (1972) of 4 February 1972, the Council urged Governments and individuals to contribute a generously and regularly to the Trust Fund, Conscious of the continuing and increasing needs for humanitarian assistance to persons persecuted under repressive and discriminatory legislation in South Africa, as well as in Namibia and Southern Rhodesia, and to their families, Noting with appreciation the efforts of the Secretary-General and the Committee of Trustees to promote contributions to the Trust Fund,

1. Expresses its appreciation to the Governments, organizations and individuals that have contributed to the United Nations Trust Fund for South Africa;

2. Again appeals to all States, organizations and individuals for generous annual contributions to the Trust Fund and for direct contributions to the voluntary agencies concerned, in order to enable them to provide relief and assistance to persons persecuted under repressive and discriminatory legislation in South Africa, Namibia and Southern Rhodesia;

3. Requests the Secretary-General and the Committee of Trustees of the United Nations Trust Fund for South Africa to continue their efforts to obtain increased contributions from governmental and non-governmental sources to the Trust Fund.

2085th plenary meeting
15 November 1972

C PROGRAMME OF WORK OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON Apartheid

The General Assembly, Commending the work of the Special Committee on Apartheid in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 2775 (XXVI) of 29 November 1971, Endorsing the programme of work of the Special Committee on Apartheid contained in its report,[3] Requests and authorizes the Special Committee on Apartheid, within the budgetary appropriation to be made for this purpose:

(a) To hold consultations with experts and representatives of the oppressed people of South Africa and African liberation movements recognized by the Organization of African Unity, as well as anti-apartheid movements and other non-governmental organizations concerned with the campaign against apartheid, in order to consider ways and means of intensifying international action against apartheid;

(b) To send representatives or delegations, as appropriate, to national and international conferences dealing with the problem of apartheid and to the headquarters of specialized agencies and the Organization of African Unity;

(c) To take appropriate steps, in co-operation with the Organization of African Unity, to ensure greater moral and material assistance to the national movement of the oppressed people of South Africa;

(d) To continue co-operation with other United Nations bodies concerned with apartheid, racial discrimination and colonialism in southern Africa;

(e ) To submit a special report to the General Assembly at its twenty-eighth session on the implementation by States of United Nations resolutions on apartheid.

2085th plenary meeting
15 November 1972

D DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ON apartheid

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 2775 B and G (XXVI) of 29 November 1971, Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General[4] 5 on the implementation of resolutions 2775 D, F and G (XXVI), Noting with appreciation the efforts of the Unit on Apartheid and the Office of Public Information in this respect, Having considered the report of the Special Committee on Apartheid,[5] Considering that the dissemination of information on the evils and dangers of apartheid and on the international efforts for the eradication of apartheid should be intensified in co-operation with Governments, specialized agencies and appropriate regional and non-governmental organizations, Desirous of increased co-operation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity in disseminating information on apartheid,

1. Requests the Secretary-General, taking into account paragraphs 220 to 228 of the report of the Special Committee on Apartheid and in consultation with the Organization of African Unity, to take steps to intensify the dissemination of information on apartheid and, in particular, to arrange for an increase in the circulation of publications and films and for additional translations into various languages;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to make appropriate arrangements for wider and more effective publicity by the Office of Public Information through all media, including films and broadcasts, on the evils of apartheid and the efforts of United Nations organs towards the eradication of apartheid;

3. Requests the specialized agencies concerned, particularly the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Labour Organisation, to co-operate closely with the Office of Public Information and the Unit on Apartheid in disseminating information on apartheid;

4. Requests the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to expedite the preparation and publication of an educational kit on racial discrimination and apartheid in southern Africa;

5. Invites Governments and organizations to encourage information media to contribute to the campaign against apartheid by the widest dissemination of information on the evils of apartheid and on the international efforts towards the eradication of apartheid;

6. Requests States and public organizations to take appropriate steps to promote the establishment in countries where they do not exist of non-governmental organizations actively concerned with the campaign against apartheid;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its twenty-eighth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

2085th plenary meeting
15 November 1972

E SITUATION IN SOUTH AFRICA RESULTING FROM THE POLICIES OF apartheid

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions on the question of apartheid, in particular resolution 2775 (XXVI) of 29 November 1971, Strongly convinced that the United Nations has a vital interest in securing the speedy elimination of apartheid, Having considered the reports of the Special Committee on Apartheid[6] and the relevant sections of the report of the Economic and Social Council,[7] Gravely concerned about the explosive situation in South Africa and in southern Africa as a whole resulting from the inhuman and aggressive policies of apartheid pursued by the Government of South Africa, a situation which constitutes a threat to international peace and security, Noting that the Security Council decided, in its resolution 311 (1972) of 4 February 1972 adopted in Addis Ababa, to examine, as a matter of urgency, methods of resolving the present situation arising out of the policies of apartheid of the Government of South Africa, Reaffirming the inalienable right of the people of South Africa to self-determination and freedom, Alarmed at the forcible removal of the African people from their rightful homes to the so-called Bantustans, Further reaffirming that the practice of apartheid constitutes a crime against humanity,

1. Condemns the racist Government of South Africa for continuing and intensifying the implementation of its inhuman policy of apartheid, and subjecting the opponents of apartheid to ruthless repression, in violation of its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, thereby creating a grave threat to the peace;

2. Condemns the establishment by the racist Government of South Africa of the so-called Bantustans and the forcible removal of the African people of South Africa to those areas as a violation of their inalienable rights, contrary to their inherent right to self-determination and prejudicial to the territorial integrity of the country and the unity of its people;

3. Demands that the Government of South Africa repeal all repressive laws, regulations and proclamations used to persecute persons opposed to the policies of apartheid and immediately release all those imprisoned, detained or restricted for their opposition to apartheid;

4. Further condemns the South African régime for its progressive exportation of the policy of apartheid into neighbouring African Territories, especially Namibia which it continues to occupy illegally in defiance of the United Nations;

5. Condemns the continued and increasing cooperation of certain States and foreign economic interests with South Africa in the military, economic, political and other fields, as such co-operation encourages the South African régime in the pursuit of apartheid in defiance of the United Nations;

6. Again calls upon all Governments to implement fully the arms embargo against South Africa, without any exceptions or reservations;

7. Reaffirms its conviction that economic and other sanctions, instituted under Chapter VII of the Charter and universally applied, constitute one of the essential means of achieving a peaceful solution of the grave situation in South Africa;

8. Requests the Security Council to consider urgently the situation in South Africa with a view to adopting such effective measures under Chapter VII of the Charter;

9. Firmly supports the efforts of all those engaged in the struggle inside South Africa against apartheid and its evil consequences;

10. Reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of the oppressed people of South Africa to eradicate apartheid and racial discrimination by all available means and to attain in the country as a whole majority rule based on universal suffrage;

11. Appeals to Governments specialized agencies, national and international organizations and individuals to provide greater assistance, directly or through the Organization of African Unity, to the national movement of the oppressed people of South Africa;

12. Requests the specialized agencies and other organizations within the United Nations system to discontinue all collaboration with the Government of South Africa until it renounces its policies of apartheid in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

13. Requests States members of international agencies and organizations, particularly the members of the European Economic Community, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the International Monetary Fund, to take the necessary steps to deny all assistance and commercial or other facilities to the Government of South Africa so long as it pursues its policies of apartheid and racial discrimination and continues to defy the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council;

14. Requests all States to take appropriate steps, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 2775 D (XXVI), to uphold the Olympic principle of nondiscrimination in sports and to withhold any support from sporting events organized in violation of this principle, particularly with the participation of racially selected teams from South Africa;

15. Commends the activities of anti-apartheid movements, trade unions, student organizations, churches and other groups which have promoted national and international action against apartheid;

16. Invites all organizations, institutions and information media to organize in 1973, in accordance with the relevant resolutions adopted by the United Nations, intensified and co-ordinated campaigns with the following goals:

(a) Discontinuance of all military, economic and political collaboration with South Africa;

(b) Cessation of all activities by foreign economic interests which encourage the South African régime in its imposition of apartheid;

(c) Condemnation of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners and detainees in South Africa;

(d) Discouragement of emigration to South Africa, especially of skilled workers;

(e) Boycott of South Africa in sports and in cultural and other activities;

(f) World-wide collection of contributions for assistance to the victims of apartheid and support to the movement of the oppressed people of South Africa for freedom;

17. Requests the Special Committee on Apartheid to arrange, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the preparation and widest dissemination of expert studies to counteract the propaganda by foreign economic and financial interests against resolutions of the United Nations and in favour of economic collaboration with the South African régime and racist institutions in South Africa;

18. Further requests the Special Committee on Apartheid to take steps to publicize all available information on collaboration by States and foreign economic and financial interests with the South African régime and South African companies;

19. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its twenty-eighth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

2085th plenary meeting
15 November 1972

F INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF TRADE UNIONS AGAINST Apartheid

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 2671 D (XXV) of 8 December 1970 and 2775 H (XXVI) of 29 November 1971, Having considered the report of the Special Committee on Apartheld,[8] Gravely concerned over the infringements of trade union rights in South Africa, especially the denial of those rights to African workers, Strongly convinced of the need to promote concerted action by the trade union movement at the national and international levels against apartheid, Noting with appreciation the readiness of the International Labour Organisation to provide conference services for the meetings of the proposed International Conference of Trade Unions against Apartheid and the Preparatory Committee for the Conference,

1. Again appeals to all national and international trade union organizations to intensify their action against apartheid;

2. Welcomes the decision taken by the Workers' Group at the International Labour Conference to convene at Geneva, in 1973, an international conference of trade unions to work out a common programme of action against apartheid;

3. Notes with satisfaction the constructive attitude of the main international trade union organizations in regard to the convening of the International Conference of Trade Unions against Apartheid;

4. Commends the Special Committee on Apartheid for its efforts in helping to promote action by the workers of the world against apartheid;

5. Requests and authorizes the Special Committee on Apartheid to participate effectively in the proposed International Conference of Trade Unions against Apartheid and in the meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to provide appropriate assistance to facilitate the holding of the Conference;

7. Authorizes the Secretary-General to reimburse the costs necessary to enable up to five representatives of trade union organizations from southern Africa to participate in the Conference, as shall be decided by the Special Committee on Apartheid, on the proposal of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference and in consultation with the Organization of African Unity;

8. Requests the Special Committee on Apartheid to submit a special report to the General Assembly, at its twenty-eighth session, on the results of the International Conference of Trade Unions against Apartheid and on other related developments concerning workers' action against apartheid.

2108th plenary meeting
13 December 1972


[1] A/8770. [2] Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-seventh Session, Annexes, agenda item 38, document A/8822. [3] Ibid., Twenty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 22 (A/ 8722), paras. 245-250. [4] A/8833. [5] Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 22 (A/8722) and Supplement No. 22A (A/8722/Add.1). [6] Ibid.; A/8770. [7] Official Record of the General Assembly, Twenty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 3 (A/8703), chap. XIV, sects. B. 3 and B. 4. [8] Ibid., Supplement No. 22 (A/8722), Supplement No. 22A (A/8722/Add.1) and Supplement No. 22B (A/8722/Add.2).
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