Activities of foreign economic and other interests which are impeding the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Namibia and in all other Territories under colonial domination and efforts to eliminate colonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination in southern Africa.

  • Author: UN General Assembly (37th sess. : 1982-1983)
  • Document source:
  • Date:
    23 November 1982
  The General Assembly, Having considered the item entitled "Activities of foreign economic andother interests which are impeding the implementation of the Declaration onthe Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Namibia andin all other Territories under colonial domination and efforts to eliminatecolonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination in southern Africa", Having examined the chapter of the report of the Special Committee onthe Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on theGranting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relating to thisquestion, Taking into consideration the relevant chapters of the report of theUnited Nations Council for Namibia, Taking note of the progress report relating to the preparation of aregister indicating the profits which transnational corporations derive fromtheir activities in colonial Territories, submitted by the United NationsCentre on Transnational Corporations in pursuance of General Assemblyresolution 36/51 of 24 November 1981, Recalling its resolutions 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, containing theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,2621 (XXV) of 12 October 1970, containing the programme of action for the fullimplementation of the Declaration, and 35/118 of 11 December 1980, the annexto which contains the Plan of Action for the Full Implementation of theDeclaration, as well as all other resolutions of the United Nations relatingto the item, Reaffirming the solemn obligation of the administering Powers under theCharter of the United Nations to promote the political, economic, social andeducational advancement of the inhabitants of the Territories under theiradministration and to protect the human and natural resources of thoseTerritories against abuses, Bearing in mind the relevant resolutions adopted by the Council ofMinisters of the Organization of African Unity at its thirty-seventh ordinarysession, held at Nairobi from 15 to 26 June 1981, and endorsed by theAssembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unityat its eighteenth ordinary session, held at Nairobi from 24 to 27 June 1981, Taking into account the relevant provisions of the Special Declarationon Namibia, adopted by the International Conference on Sanctions againstSouth Africa, held in Paris from 20 to 27 May 1981, Reaffirming that any economic or other activity which impedes theimplementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to ColonialCountries and Peoples and obstructs efforts aimed at the elimination ofcolonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination in southern Africa and othercolonial Territories is in direct violation of the rights of the inhabitantsand of the principles of the Charter and all relevant resolutions of theUnited Nations, Reaffirming that the natural resources of all Territories under colonialand racist domination are the heritage of the peoples of those Territories andthat the exploitation and depletion of those resources by foreign economicinterests, in particular in Namibia, in association with the occupying regimeof South Africa, constitute a direct violation of the rights of the peoplesand of the principles of the Charter and all relevant resolutions of theUnited Nations, Bearing in mind the relevant provisions of the final communique andother documents of the Ministerial Meeting of the Co-ordinating Bureau of theNon-Aligned Countries, held at Havana from 31 May to 5 June 1982, Taking into account the relevant provisions of the Arusha Declarationand Programme of Action on Namibia, adopted by the United Nations Councilfor Namibia on 13 May 1982 at its extraordinary plenary meeting held atArusha, United Republic of Tanzania, Noting with profound concern that the colonial Powers and certainStates, through their activities in the colonial Territories, have continuedto disregard United Nations decisions relating to the item and that they havefailed to implement in particular the relevant provisions of General Assemblyresolutions 2621 (XXV) and 36/51, by which the Assembly called upon allGovernments that had not yet done so to take legislative, administrative orother measures in respect of their nationals and the bodies corporate undertheir jurisdiction that own and operate enterprises in colonial Territories,particularly in Africa, which are detrimental to the interests of theinhabitants of those Territories, in order to put an end to such enterprisesand to prevent new investments that run counter to the interests of theinhabitants of those Territories, Condemning the intensified activities of those foreign economic,financial and other interests which continue to exploit the natural and humanresources of the colonial Territories and to accumulate and repatriate hugeprofits to the detriment of the interests of the inhabitants, particularly inthe case of Namibia, thereby impeding the realization by the peoples of theTerritories of their legitimate aspirations for self-determination andindependence, Strongly condemning the support which the racist minority regime ofSouth Africa continues to receive from those foreign economic, financial andother interests which are collaborating with it in the exploitation of thenatural and human resources of the international Territory of Namibia, in thefurther entrenchment of its illegal racist domination over the Territory andin the strengthening of its system of apartheid, Strongly condemning the investment of foreign capital in the productionof uranium and the collaboration of certain Western countries and other Stateswith the racist minority regime of South Africa in the nuclear field which, byproviding that regime with nuclear equipment and technology, enable it todevelop nuclear and military capabilities and to become a nuclear Power,thereby promoting South Africa's continued illegal occupation of Namibia, Concerned about the conditions in other colonial Territories, includingcertain Territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific regions, where foreigneconomic, financial and other interests continue to deprive the indigenouspopulations of their rights over the wealth of their countries, and where theinhabitants of those Territories continue to suffer from a loss of landownership as a result of the failure of the administering Powers concerned torestrict the sale of land to foreigners, despite the repeated appeals of theGeneral Assembly, Conscious of the continuing need to mobilize world public opinionagainst the involvement of foreign economic, financial and other interests inthe exploitation of natural and human resources, which impedes theindependence of colonial Territories and the elimination of racism,particularly in southern Africa,

1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the peoples of dependentTerritories to self-determination and independence and to the enjoyment of thenatural resources of their Territories, as well as their right to dispose ofthose resources in their best interests;

2. Reiterates that any administering or occupying Power that deprivesthe colonial peoples of the exercise of their legitimate rights over theirnatural resources or subordinates the rights and interests of those peoples toforeign economic and financial interests violates the solemn obligations ithas assumed under the Charter of the United Nations;

3. Reaffirms that, by their depletive exploitation of naturalresources, the continued accumulation and repatriation of huge profits and theuse of those profits for the enrichment of foreign settlers and theentrenchment of colonial domination and racial discrimination in theTerritories, the activities of foreign economic, financial and other interestsoperating at present in the colonial Territories, particularly in southernAfrica, constitute a major obstacle to political independence and racialequality as well as to the enjoyment of the natural resources of thoseTerritories by the indigenous inhabitants;

4. Condemns the activities of foreign economic and other interests inthe colonial Territories impeding the implementation of the Declaration on theGranting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained inGeneral Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), and the efforts to eliminatecolonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination;

5. Condemns the policies of Governments that continue to support orcollaborate with those foreign economic and other interests engaged inexploiting the natural and human resources of the Territories, including inparticular illegally exploiting Namibia's marine resources, violating thepolitical, economic and social rights and interests of the indigenous peoplesand thus obstructing the full and speedy implementation of the Declaration inrespect of those Territories;

6. Strongly condemns the collusion of the Governments of certainWestern countries and other States with the racist minority regime of SouthAfrica in the nuclear field and calls upon those and all other Governments torefrain from supplying that regime, directly or indirectly, with installationsthat might enable it to produce uranium, plutonium and other nuclearmaterials, reactors or military equipment;

7. Requests the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to theImplementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to ColonialCountries and Peoples to continue to monitor closely the situation in otherNon-Self-Governing Territories so as to ensure that all economic activities inthose Territories are aimed at strengthening and diversifying their economiesin the interests of the indigenous peoples and their speedy accession toindependence, and that those peoples are not exploited for political, militaryand other purposes detrimental to their interests;

8. Strongly condemns those Western countries and all other States, aswell as the transnational corporations, which continue their investments in,and supply of armaments and oil and nuclear technology to, the racist regimeof South Africa, thus buttressing it and aggravating the threat to world peace;

9. Calls upon all States, in particular certain Western countries, totake urgent, effective measures to terminate all collaboration with SouthAfrica in the political, diplomatic, economic, trade, military and nuclearfields and to refrain from entering into other relations with the racistregime of South Africa in violation of the relevant resolutions of the UnitedNations and of the Organization of African Unity;

10. Calls once again upon all Governments that have not yet done so totake legislative, administrative or other measures in respect of theirnationals and the bodies corporate under their jurisdiction that own andoperate enterprises in colonial Territories, particularly in Africa, which aredetrimental to the interests of the inhabitants of those Territories, in orderto put an end to such enterprises and to prevent new investments that runcounter to the interests of the inhabitants of those Territories; 11. Calls upon all States to terminate, or cause to have terminated, anyinvestments in Namibia or loans to the racist minority regime of South Africaand to refrain from any agreements or measures to promote trade or othereconomic relations with that regime; 12. Requests all States that have not yet done so to take effectivemeasures to end the supply of funds and other forms of assistance, includingmilitary supplies and equipment, to the racist minority regime of SouthAfrica, which uses such assistance to repress the people of Namibia and theirnational liberation movement; 13. Strongly condemns South Africa for its continued exploitation andplundering of the natural resources of Namibia, in complete disregard of thelegitimate interests of the Namibian people, for the creation in the Territoryof an economic structure dependent essentially upon its mineral resources andfor its illegal extension of the territorial sea and its proclamation of aneconomic zone off the coast of Namibia; 14. Calls upon those oil-producing and oil-exporting countries that havenot yet done so to take effective measures against the oil companies concernedso as to terminate the supply of crude oil and petroleum products to theracist regime of South Africa; 15. Reiterates that the exploitation and plundering of the naturalresources of Namibia by South African and other foreign economic interests,including the activities of those transnational corporations which are engagedin the exploitation and export of the Territory's uranium ores and otherresources, in violation of the relevant resolutions of the General Assemblyand the Security Council and of Decree No. 1 for the Protection of the NaturalResources of Namibia, enacted by the United Nations Council for Namibia on27 September 1974, are illegal and contribute to the maintenance of theillegal occupation regime; 16. Calls once again upon all States to discontinue all economic,financial and trade relations with the racist minority regime of South Africaconcerning Namibia and to refrain from entering into any relations with SouthAfrica, purporting to act on behalf of or concerning Namibia, which may lendsupport to its continued illegal occupation of that Territory; 17. Invites all Governments and organizations of the United Nationssystem, having regard to the relevant provisions of the Declaration on theEstablishment of a New International Economic Order, contained in GeneralAssembly resolution 3201 (S-VI) of 1 May 1974, and of the Charter of EconomicRights and Duties of States, contained in Assembly resolution 3281 (XXIX) of12 December 1974, to ensure, in particular, that the permanent sovereignty ofthe colonial Territories over their natural resources is fully respected andsafeguarded; 18. Calls upon the administering Powers to abolish all discriminatoryand unjust wage systems and working conditions prevailing in the Territoriesunder their administration and to apply in each Territory a uniform system ofwages to all the inhabitants without any discrimination; 19. Requests the Secretary-General to continue, through the Departmentof Public Information of the Secretariat, a sustained and broad campaign witha view to informing world public opinion of the facts concerning the pillagingof natural resources in colonial Territories and the exploitation of theirindigenous populations by foreign monopolies and, in respect of Namibia, thesupport they render to the racist minority regime of South Africa; 20. Appeals to all non-governmental organizations to continue theircampaign to mobilize international public opinion for the enforcement ofeconomic and other sanctions against the Pretoria regime; 21. Requests the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations tocomplete the register called for in General Assembly resolution 36/51,indicating the profits that transnational corporations derive from theiractivities in colonial Territories, and to report thereon to the Assembly atits thirty-eighth session and to the Special Committee on the Situation withregard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting ofIndependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples at its session in 1983; 22. Requests the Special Committee to continue to examine this questionand to report thereon to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth session.
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