Question of Guam.

  • Author: UN General Assembly (35th sess. : 1980-1981)
  • Document source:
  • Date:
    11 November 1980

35. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
22. Question of Guam

The General Assembly, Having considered the question of Guam, 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 Guam, Noting that the administering Power continues to maintain military installations in the Territory, Considering that the policy of maintaining military bases and installations in Non-Self-Governing Territories which inhibit the right of self-determination of peoples is incompatible with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, Having heard the statement of the administering Power,[2] Welcoming the active participation of the administering Power in the work of the Special Committee and expressing the hope that this co-operation will be strengthened further so as to accelerate progress towards the full implementation of the Declaration in respect of Guam, Aware of the special circumstances of the geographical location and economic conditions of Guam and stressing the necessity of diversifying the Territory's economy as a matter of priority in order to reduce its dependence on fluctuating economic activities,

1. Approves the chapter 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 Guam;[3]

2. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Guam 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 in respect of the Territory;

4. Recalls that the United States of America, as the administering Power, has the responsibility to ensure that the people of the Territory are kept fully informed of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence, in accordance with the Declaration;

5. Calls upon the administering Power to take all necessary steps, taking into account the freely expressed wishes of the people of Guam, to expedite the process of decolonization of the Territory in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Declaration;

6. Recalls its relevant resolutions concerning military bases in colonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories, recognizes that the presence of military bases could constitute a factor impeding the implementation of the Declaration and reaffirms its strong conviction that the presence of military bases in Guam should not prevent the people of the Territory from exercising their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in accordance with the Declaration and the purposes and principles of the Charter;

7. Reaffirms the responsibility of the administering Power for the economic and social development of the Territory;

8. Calls upon the administering Power to take all possible steps to strengthen and diversify the economy of Guam and to work out concrete programmes of assistance and economic development for the Territory;

9. Further calls upon the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to work towards removing constraints which limit growth in various economic areas;

10. Urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to continue to take effective measures to safeguard and guarantee the right of the people of Guam to own and dispose of their natural resources and to establish and maintain control over their future development, and notes the decision of the administering Power concerning transfer to the Government of Guam of all mineral rights in submerged lands off the territorial coastline;

11. Requests the administering Power to take all necessary steps to protect the property rights of the people of the Territory;

12. Calls upon the administering Power to take the necessary action to enable the inhabitants of Guam to regain possession of unutilized land held at present by the federal authorities and by the military;

13. Calls upon the administering Power to develop and promote the language and culture of the Chamorro people;

14. Requests the Special Committee to continue the examination of this question at its next session, including the possible dispatch of a further visiting mission to Guam, at an appropriate time and in consultation with the administering Power, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its thirty-sixth session.

57th plenary meeting
11 November 1980


[1] Ibid., chaps. III, IV and XVII. [2] Ibid., Thirty-fifth Session, Fourth Committee, 13th meeting, paras. 57-63. [3] Ibid., Thirty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 23 (A/35/Rev. 1), chap. XVII.
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