Question of Papua New Guinea

XXVIII. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
3109. 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 New Guinea, in particular resolution 2977 (XXVII) of 14 December 1972, Having considered the report of the Trusteeship Council covering the period from 17 June 1972 to 22 June 1973,[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 statements of the representatives of the administering Power and of the Government of Papua New Guinea [3] Taking into account the conclusions and recommendations of the Trusteeship Council and the Special Committee regarding developments in Papua New Guinea, Noting with satisfaction the transfer of authority to the Government of Papua New Guinea by the administering Power, marked by the attainment by Papua New Guinea of formal self-government on 1 December 1973, Taking note of the express desire of the Government of Papua New Guinea for national unity and independence as a single and sovereign political and territorial entity, and of the express desire of the administering Power to create an independent and united country, Noting also that -the Constitutional Planning Committee, composed of members of the Papua New Guinea House of Assembly, is preparing recommendations, on the future constitution of Papua New Guinea, Noting further that the final report and draft constitution recommended by the Constitutional Planning Committee will be tabled in the House of Assembly in February 1974, that the constitution will provide for all major aspects of a system of government and will include provisions for the transition to independence, and that the House of Assembly will meet in special session in April 1974 to consider and adopt the constitution, Mindful that the House of Assembly has affirmed its right as the duly elected parliament of the people of Papua New Guinea to decide when independence is to come and that the administering Power accepts that the House of Assembly represents the wishes of the people on the question of independence, Noting, with respect to the timing of independence, the view of the administering Power that there are two elements involved in the determination of the question of independence: the view of the administering Power and the views of the people of Papua New Guinea as expressed through their elected representatives in the House of Assembly, and that, in this regard, the administering Power expects independence to come by 1975 and that independence should be achieved in the closest consultation with the Government and the House of Assembly of Papua New Guinea,

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

2. Welcomes the attainment of self-government as an important step in the progress of Papua New Guinea towards independence;

3. Calls upon the administering Power and the Government of Papua New Guinea to consult on the timing of independence, noting in this regard the views of the administering Power and of the Government of Papua New Guinea that the House of Assembly is regarded as representing the wishes of the people of Papua New Guinea;

4. Emphasizes the imperative need to ensure that the national unity of Papua New Guinea is preserved;

5. Strongly endorses the policies of the administering Power and of the Government of Papua New Guinea aimed at discouraging separatist movements and at promoting national unity;

6. Stresses the right of the people of Papua New Guinea to control and dispose of their natural resources in their national interest;

7. Stresses also the importance of preserving the cultural heritage of the people of Papua New Guinea;

8. Welcomes the growing involvement of the Government of Papua New Guinea in matters of defence and external affairs and calls upon the administering Power to continue to expand its consultations with the Government of Papua New Guinea regarding these matters;

9. Calls upon the organizations of the United Nations system and their members to assist in accelerating progress in all sectors of the national life of Papua New Guinea;

10. Notes the continued willingness of the administering Power and the Government of Papua New Guinea to receive a visiting mission, notes also that the Trusteeship Council is to consider the dispatch of a visiting mission to Papua New Guinea -at its forty-first session and reaffirms that such missions are to be composed on the basis recommended in General Assembly resolution 2590 (XXIV) of 16 December 1969;

11. Requests the administering Power to report to the Trusteeship Council 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 on the implementation of the present resolution;

12. 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-ninth session.

2198th plenary meeting
12 December 1973

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[1] Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 4 (A/9004). [2] Ibid., Supplement No. 23 (A/9023/Rev.1), chaps. III and XIX. [3] Ibid., Twenty-eighth Session, Fourth Committee, 2071st meeting.