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.

 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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,

  The General Assembly, Having considered the item entitled "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", Having examined 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 this question, Taking into consideration the relevant chapter of the report of the United Nations Council for Namibia, Having considered the report of the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations, relating to the preparation of a register indicating the profits that transnational corporations derive from their activities in colonial Territories, submitted in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 37/31 of 23 November 1982, Recalling its resolutions 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, 2621 (XXV) of 12 October 1970, containing the programme of action for the full implementation of the Declaration, and 35/118 of 11 December 1980, the annex to which contains the Plan of Action for the Full Implementation of the Declaration, as well as all other resolutions of the United Nations relating to the item, Reaffirming the solemn obligation of the administering Powers under the Charter of the United Nations to promote the political, economic, social and educational advancement of the inhabitants of the Territories under their administration and to protect the human and natural resources of those Territories against abuses, Taking into account the relevant provisions of the Paris Declaration on Namibia and the Programme of Action on Namibia, adopted at the International Conference in Support of the Struggle of the Namibian People for Independence, held in Paris from 25 to 29 April 1983, Reaffirming that any economic or other activity which impedes the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and obstructs efforts aimed at the elimination of colonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination in southern Africa and other colonial Territories is in direct violation of the rights of the inhabitants and of the principles of the Charter and all relevant resolutions of the United Nations, Reaffirming that the natural resources of all Territories under colonial and racist domination are the heritage of the peoples of those Territories and that the exploitation and depletion of those resources by foreign economic interests, in particular in Namibia, in association with the occupying regime of South Africa, constitute a direct violation of the rights of the peoples and of the principles of the Charter and all relevant resolutions of the United Nations, Bearing in mind the relevant provisions of the Economic Declaration and other documents of the Seventh Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at New Delhi from 7 to 12 March 1983, Taking into account the relevant provisions of the Arusha Declaration and Programme of Action on Namibia, adopted by the United Nations Council for Namibia on 13 May 1982 at its extraordinary plenary meeting held at Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, Noting with profound concern that the colonial Powers and certain States, through their activities in the colonial Territories, have continued to disregard United Nations decisions relating to the item and that they have failed to implement in particular the relevant provisions of General Assembly resolutions 2621 (XXV) and 37/31, by which the Assembly called upon all Governments that had not yet done so to take legislative, administrative or other measures in respect of their nationals and the bodies corporate under their jurisdiction that own and operate enterprises in colonial Territories, particularly in Africa, which are detrimental to the interests of the inhabitants of those Territories, in order to put an end to such enterprises and to prevent new investments that run counter to the interests of the inhabitants of those Territories, Condemning the intensified activities of those foreign economic, financial and other interests which continue to exploit the natural and human resources of the colonial Territories and to accumulate and repatriate huge profits to the detriment of the interests of the inhabitants, particularly in the case of Namibia, thereby impeding the realization by the peoples of the Territories of their legitimate aspirations for self-determination and independence, Strongly condemning the support which the racist minority regime of South Africa continues to receive from those foreign economic, financial and other interests which are collaborating with it in the exploitation of the natural and human resources of the international Territory of Namibia, in the further entrenchment of its illegal racist domination over the Territory and in the strengthening of its system of apartheid, Strongly condemning the investment of foreign capital in the production of uranium and the collaboration of certain Western States and other States with the racist minority regime of South Africa in the nuclear field which, by providing that regime with nuclear equipment and technology, enable it to develop nuclear and military capabilities and to become a nuclear Power, thereby promoting South Africa's continued illegal occupation of Namibia, Reaffirming that the resources of Namibia are the inviolable heritage of the Namibian people and that the exploitation of those resources by foreign economic interests under the protection of the illegal colonial administration, in violation of the Charter, of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council and of Decree No. l for the Protection of the Natural Resources of Namibia, enacted by the United Nations Council for Namibia on 27 September 1974, and in disregard of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 21 June 1971, is illegal and contributes to the maintenance of the illegal occupation regime, Concerned about the conditions in other colonial Territories, including certain Territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific regions, where foreign economic, financial and other interests continue to deprive the indigenous populations of their rights over the wealth of their countries, and where the inhabitants of those Territories continue to suffer from a loss of land ownership as a result of the failure of the administering Powers concerned to restrict the sale of land to foreigners, despite the repeated appeals of the General Assembly, Conscious of the continuing need to mobilize world public opinion against the involvement of foreign economic, financial and other interests in the exploitation of natural and human resources, which impedes the independence of colonial Territories and the elimination of racism, particularly in southern Africa,

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

2. Reiterates that any administering or occupying Power that deprives the colonial peoples of the exercise of their legitimate rights over their natural resources or subordinates the rights and interests of those peoples to foreign economic and financial interests violates the solemn obligations it has assumed under the Charter of the United Nations;

3. Reaffirms that, by their depletive exploitation of natural resources, the continued accumulation and repatriation of huge profits and the use of those profits for the enrichment of foreign settlers and the entrenchment of colonial domination and racial discrimination in the Territories, the activities of foreign economic, financial and other interests operating at present in the colonial Territories, particularly in southern Africa, constitute a major obstacle to political independence and racial equality as well as to the enjoyment of the natural resources of those Territories by the indigenous inhabitants;

4. Condemns the activities of foreign economic and other interests in the colonial Territories impeding the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), and the efforts to eliminate colonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination;

5. Condemns the policies of Governments that continue to support or collaborate with those foreign economic and other interests engaged in exploiting the natural and human resources of the Territories, including in particular illegally exploiting Namibia's marine resources, violating the political, economic and social rights and interests of the indigenous peoples and thus obstructing the full and speedy implementation of the Declaration in respect of those Territories;

6. Strongly condemns the collusion of the Governments of certain Western States and other States with the racist minority regime of South Africa in the nuclear field and calls upon those and all other Governments to refrain from supplying that regime, directly or indirectly, with installations that might enable it to produce uranium, plutonium and other nuclear materials, reactors or military equipment;

7. Requests the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to continue to monitor closely the situation in other Non-Self-Governing Territories so as to ensure that all economic activities in those Territories are aimed at strengthening and diversifying their economies in the interests of the indigenous peoples and their speedy accession to independence and that those peoples are not exploited for political, military and other purposes detrimental to their interests;

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

9. Calls upon all States, in particular certain Western States, to take urgent, effective measures to terminate all collaboration with South Africa in the political, diplomatic, economic, trade, military and nuclear fields and to refrain from entering into other relations with the racist regime of South Africa in violation of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and of the Organization of African Unity;

10. Calls once again upon all Governments that have not yet done so to take legislative, administrative or other measures in respect of their nationals and the bodies corporate under their jurisdiction that own and operate enterprises in colonial Territories, particularly in Africa, which are detrimental to the interests of the inhabitants of those Territories, in order to put an end to such enterprises and to prevent new investments that run counter to the interests of the inhabitants of those Territories;

11. Calls upon all States to terminate, or cause to have terminated, any investments in Namibia or loans to the racist minority regime of South Africa and to refrain from any agreements or measures to promote trade or other economic relations with that regime;

12. Requests all States that have not yet done so to take effective measures to end the supply of funds and other forms of assistance, including military supplies and equipment, to the racist minority regime of South Africa, which uses such assistance to repress the people of Namibia and their national liberation movement;

13. Strongly condemns South Africa for its continued exploitation and plundering of the natural resources of Namibia, in complete disregard of the legitimate interests of the Namibian people, for the creation in the Territory of an economic structure dependent essentially upon its mineral resources and for its illegal extension of the territorial sea and its proclamation of an economic zone off the coast of Namibia;

14. Calls upon those oil-producing and oil-exporting countries that have not yet done so to take effective measures against the oil companies concerned so as to terminate the supply of crude oil and petroleum products to the racist regime of South Africa;

15. Reiterates that the exploitation and plundering of the natural resources of Namibia by South African and other foreign economic interests, including the activities of those transnational corporations which are engaged in the exploitation and export of the Territory's uranium ores and other resources, in violation of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council and of Decree No. 1 for the Protection of the Natural Resources of Namibia, are illegal and contribute to the maintenance of the illegal occupation regime;

16. Calls upon the Governments of all States, particularly those whose corporations are involved in the mining and processing of Namibian uranium, to take all appropriate measures in compliance with the provisions of Decree No. l for the Protection of the Natural Resources of Namibia, including the practice of requiring negative certificates of origin, to prohibit and prevent State-owned and other corporations, together with their subsidiaries, from dealing in Namibia uranium and from engaging in uranium prospecting activities in Namibia;

17. Requests all States to take legislative, administrative and other measures, as appropriate, in order effectively to isolate South Africa politically, economically, militarily and culturally, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions ES-8/2 of 14 September 1981, 36/121 B of 10 December 1981 and 37/233 A of 20 December 1982;

18. Calls once again upon all States to discontinue all economic, financial and trade relations with the racist minority regime of South Africa concerning Namibia and to refrain from entering into any relations with South Africa, purporting to act on behalf of or concerning Namibia, which may lend support to its continued illegal occupation of that Territory;

19. Invites all Governments and organizations of the United Nations system, having regard to the relevant provisions of the Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, contained in General Assembly resolution 3201 (S-VI) of 1 May 1974, and of the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States, contained in Assembly resolution 3281 (XXIX) of 12 December 1974, to ensure, in particular, that the permanent sovereignty of the colonial Territories over their natural resources is fully respected and safeguarded;

20. Calls upon the administering Powers to abolish all discriminatory and unjust wage systems and working conditions prevailing in the Territories under their administration and to apply in each Territory a uniform system of wages to all the inhabitants without any discrimination;

21. Requests the Secretary-General to continue, through the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, a sustained and broad campaign with a view to informing world public opinion of the facts concerning the pillaging of natural resources in colonial Territories and the exploitation of their indigenous populations by foreign monopolies and, in respect of Namibia, the support they render to the racist minority regime of South Africa;

22. Appeals to all non-governmental organizations to continue their campaign to mobilize international public opinion for the enforcement of economic and other sanctions against the Pretoria regime;

23. Takes note of the register prepared by the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations and requests the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to take due account of the register in connection with its consideration of the related items;

24. Requests the Special Committee to continue to examine this question and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth session.