Question of Namibia
- Author: UN General Assembly
- Document source:
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Date:
18 December 1972
XXVII. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
3031. Question of Namibia
1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Namibia to self-determination and independence, as recognized in General Assembly resolutions 1514 (XV) and 2621 (XXV) and subsequent resolutions, and the legitimacy of their struggle by all means against the illegal occupation of their Territory by South Africa;
2. Affirms that any solution with regard to the question of Namibia must enable the people of the Territory to achieve self-determination and independence as a single territorial and political entity;
3. Condemns the Government of South Africa for its continued refusal to terminate its illegal occupation and administration of the Territory of Namibia and to comply with the pertinent resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly;
4. Calls once again upon the Government of South Africa to withdraw forthwith from the international Territory of Namibia;
5. Condemns the Government of South Africa for its continued efforts to destroy the unity of the people and the territorial integrity of Namibia through the establishment of separate "homelands" based on racial and tribal distinctions, including the eviction, displacement and transfer of the Namibian people to other areas, and for its continued extension to Namibia of the policies of apartheid,
6. Deeply deplores any support given to South Africa by any State, and by any financial, economic and other interests operating in Namibia, which enables South Africa to pursue its repressive policies in the Territory, and calls for the termination of such support;
7. Calls once again upon all States:
(a) To respect strictly the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council concerning Namibia, and to take fully into account the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 21 June 1971;
(b) To refrain from all direct or indirect relations, economic or otherwise, with South Africa, when it purports to represent Namibia;
(c) Not to recognize as legally valid any rights or interests in Namibian property or resources purportedly acquired from the Government of South Africa after 27 October 1966;
(d) To take effective economic and other measures designed to ensure the immediate withdrawal of the South African administration from Namibia, thereby making possible the implementation of General Assembly resolutions 2145 (XXI) and 2248 (S-V);
8. Commends the report of the United Nations Council for Namibia to all States and the subsidiary organs of the General Assembly and other competent organs of the United Nations, as well as to the specialized agencies and other organizations within the United Nations system, for appropriate action in conformity with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council;
9. Requests the United Nations Council for Namibia to continue to discharge its functions and responsibilities in accordance with the provisions of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, and in particular:
(a) To represent Namibia in international organizations, at conferences and on any other occasion as may be required;
(b) To ensure the participation in an appropriate capacity of the representatives of the Namibian people in its activities;
(c) To continue its consultations at United Nations Headquarters, in Africa or elsewhere with the representatives of the Namibian people and the Organization of African Unity;
(d) To continue to assume responsibility for the urgent establishment of short-term and long-term coordinated programmes of technical and financial assistance to Namibia in the light of the relevant provisions of resolution 2248 (S-V) and taking into account resolution 2872 (XXVI) of 20 December 1971;
(e) To continue to expand the existing scheme for issuing identity certificates and travel documents to Namibians by concluding appropriate agreements with Governments of Member States;
(f) To continue to promote publicity with regard to the question of Namibia and to assist the Secretary-General in the discharge of the task entrusted to him under paragraph 14 below;
(g) To undertake a study on the compliance of Member States with the relevant United Nations resolutions, taking into account the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice relating to Namibia;
(h) To examine the question of foreign economic interests operating in Namibia, and to seek effective means to regulate such activities as appropriate;
(i) To continue to examine the question of bilateral and multilateral treaties which explicitly or implicitly include Namibia, and to seek to replace South Africa as the party representing Namibia in all relevant bilateral and multilateral treaties;
10. Requests all States, United Nations organs and the specialized agencies and other organizations within the United Nations system, as well as the non-governmental organizations concerned, to co-operate fully with the United Nations Council for Namibia in the discharge of the mandate entrusted to it by the General Assembly, and in particular:
(a) To refrain from any action which may confer a semblance of legitimacy upon South Africa's illegal occupation of Namibia;
(b) To render to the Namibian people, in co-operation with the Organization of African Unity, all moral and material assistance necessary to continue their struggle for the restoration of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence, and to work out, in active co-operation with the United Nations Council for Namibia and the Organization of African Unity, concrete programmes of assistance to Namibia;
(c) To take effective steps to assist the Secretary General in disseminating relevant information on this question under paragraph 14 below;
11. Invites the Security Council to take effective measures, in conformity with the relevant provision of the Charter, to secure the withdrawal by South Africa of its illegal administration from Namibia an the implementation of the resolutions of the Genera Assembly and the Security Council designed to enable the people of Namibia to exercise their right to self determination;
12. Decides to enlarge the membership of the United Nations Council for Namibia and requests the President of the General Assembly, in the light of the relevant report of the Secretary-General[8] to nominate additional members during the current session of the Assembly;
13. Urges the Secretary-General, in conformity with General Assembly resolution 2871 (XXVI) of 20 December 1971 and in view of the recommendations of the United Nations Council for Namibia, to undertake the necessary consultations to nominate as soon a possible a full-time United Nations Commissioner for Namibia;[9]
14. Requests the Secretary-General, having regard to the suggestions of the United Nations Council for Namibia concerning the widespread and continuous publicity on this question, to take effective steps, including the publication of a regular bulletin on Namibia and the issue of a series of United Nations commemorative postage stamps, to publicize as widely a possible, in particular:
(a) The work of the United Nations Council for Namibia and of other organs on the question of Namibia;
(b) The grave situation in the Territory created by the further repressive measures taken by the South African regime against the people of Namibia in violation of the relevant decisions of the United Nations;
(c) The legitimate struggle of the people of Namibia for self-determination and independence;
(d) The need for increased moral, political and material assistance to the people of Namibia and their liberation movement;
15. Invites the various organs of the United Nations concerned to effect the greatest possible co-ordination of their respective activities relating to Namibia;
16. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide the necessary assistance and facilities to the United Nations Council for Namibia and to the United Nations Commissioner for Namibia for the discharge of their respective duties and functions;
17. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its twenty-eighth session on the implementation of the present resolution.
2114th plenary meeting18 December 1972 At its 2114th plenary meeting, on 18 December 1972, the General Assembly, pursuant to paragraph 12 of the above resolution, confirmed the nomination by its President of BURUNDI, CHINA, LIBERIA, MEXICO, POLAND, ROMANIA and the UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS as members of the United Nations Council for Namibia. As a result, the Council will be composed of the following Member States: BURUNDI, CHILE, CHINA, COLOMBIA, EGYPT, GUYANA, INDIA, INDONESIA, LIBERIA, MEXICO, NIGERIA, PAKISTAN, POLAND, ROMANIA, TURKEY, UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS, YUGOSLAVIA and ZAMBIA.
[1] Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 24 (A/8724). [2] Ibid., Supplement No. 23 (A/8723/Rev.1), chaps. II, III and DC. [3] A/8934. [4] Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-seventh Session, Fourth Committee, 2018th meeting. [5] Ibid., 2014th and 2018th meetings. [6] Legal Consequences for States of the Continued Presence of South Africa in Namibia (South West Africa) notwithstanding Security Council Resolution 276 (1970), Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1971, p. 16. [7] See Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 24 (A/8724), vol. II, appendix II. [8] A/8934. [9] For the appointment of the United Nations Commissioner for Namibia by the General Assembly, see above, P. 10.
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