Question of Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands.

33. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE*
35. Question of Bermuda, Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands

The General Assembly, Having considered the question of Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands, Having examined 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 [1] Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and all other resolutions and decisions of the United Nations relating to the Territories listed above, in particular General Assembly resolutions 32/29 and 32/30 of 28 November 1977, Taking into account the statement of the administering Power relating to the Territories listed above,[2] Noting the continued readiness of the administering Power to grant independence to the peoples of the Territories under its administration on the basis of their express wishes and aspirations in that regard, and its declared policy of fostering the growth of free and democratic political institutions in those Territories, Conscious of the need to accelerate progress towards the full implementation of the Declaration with respect to the Territories concerned, Bearing in mind the constructive results that can be achieved as a consequence of United Nations visiting missions to colonial Territories, which provide an effective means of ascertaining the situation in the Territories visited, and reiterating its conviction that the dispatch of such missions is essential for securing adequate and first-hand information in regard to the political, economic and social conditions in those Territories and to the views, wishes and aspirations of the peoples therein, Mindful that those Territories require the continued attention and assistance of the United Nations in the achievement by their peoples of the objectives embodied in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Declaration, Aware of the special circumstances of the geographical location and economic conditions of the Territories concerned, and stressing the necessity of diversifying and strengthening further their economies as a matter of priority in order to promote economic stability and reduce their dependence on fluctuating economic activities,

1. Approves the 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 relating to Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands;[3]

2. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the peoples of those Territories to self-determination and independence in accordance with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;

3. Reaffirms its conviction that questions of territorial size, geographical location and limited resources should in no way delay the implementation of the Declaration with respect to the Territories concerned;

4. Calls upon the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as the administering Power, in consultation with the freely elected representatives of the peoples, to continue to take all the necessary steps to ensure the full and speedy attainment of the goals set forth in the Declaration with respect to the Territories;

5. Calls upon the administering Power to expand its programme of budgetary aid and to take all possible steps, in consultation with the local authorities, as appropriate, to diversify and strengthen further the economies of the Territories listed above and to work out concrete programmes of assistance and economic development for those Territories;

6. Urges the administering Power, with the cooperation of the freely elected authorities and representatives of the peoples of the Territories concerned, to safeguard the inalienable right of the peoples of those Territories to the enjoyment of their natural resources by taking effective measures which guarantee the rights of the peoples to own and dispose of those natural resources and to establish and maintain control of their future development;

7. Requests the administering Power, in consultation with the freely elected authorities and representatives of the peoples of the Territories concerned, to pay particular attention to the training of qualified local personnel;

8. Welcomes the positive attitude of the administering Power with respect to the receiving of United Nations visiting missions in the Territories under its administration and requests the Chairman of the Special Committee to continue his consultations with a view to the dispatch of such missions, as appropriate;

9. Requests the administering Power to continue to enlist the assistance of the specialized agencies and other organizations within the United Nations system in accelerating progress in all sectors of the national life of those Territories;

10. Requests the Special Committee to continue to seek the best ways and means for the implementation of the Declaration with respect to Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands, including the possible dispatch of visiting missions in consultation with the administering Power, and to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

81st plenary meeting
13 December 1978

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[1] Ibid., vol. I, chaps. III-V, and vol. III, chaps. XXI-XXV. [2] Ibid., Thirty-third Session, Fourth Committee, 24th meeting, paras. 23-30. [3] Ibid., Thirty-third Session, Supplement No. 23 (A/33/ Rev.1), vol. III, chaps. XXI-XXV.