Question of Montserrat.

 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Question of Montserrat

  The General Assembly, Having considered the question of Montserrat, 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, Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Recalling also its resolution 37/27 of 23 November 1982 on the question of Montserrat, Recalling the dispatch, in 1975 and 1982, of United Nations visiting missions to the Territory, Noting the statement of the representative of the administering Power, that the policy of his Government is to respect the wishes of the people of the Territory in determining their future political status, Reaffirming the responsibility of the administering Power for the economic and social development of the Territory, Noting that during the period under review the economy of Montserrat grew in real terms and that in recent years no budgetary grant-in-aid from the administering Power has been considered necessary to balance the regular budget of the Territory, Noting that an in-service review of the organization and training needs of the public service was undertaken in 1982 and that priority would be given to the establishment of a civil service training centre, Mindful of the responsibility of the United Nations to help the people of Montserrat to realize their aspirations in accordance with the objectives set forth in the Declaration, Noting the assistance being rendered by those organizations of the United Nations system operating in the Territory, Aware of the special problems facing the Territory by virtue of its isolation, small size, limited resources and lack of infrastructure, Mindful that visiting missions provide an effective means of ascertaining the situation in the Territories visited,

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 Montserrat;

2. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Montserrat to self-determination and independence in conformity with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960;

3. Reiterates the view that such factors as size, geographical location, size of population and limited natural resources should in no way delay the speedy exercise by the people of the Territory of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in conformity with the Declaration, which fully applies to the Territory;

4. Notes with appreciation the continued participation of the administering Power in the work of the Committee, which enables it to conduct a more meaningful examination of the situation in the Territory with a view to accelerating the process of decolonization for the purpose of the full implementation of the Declaration;

5. Reiterates that it is the responsibility of the administering Power to create such conditions in Montserrat as will enable its people to exercise freely and without interference their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), as well as all other relevant resolutions of the Assembly;

6. Reaffirms that it is ultimately for the people of Montserrat themselves to determine their future political status in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Declaration and reiterates its call upon the administering Power to launch, in co-operation with the territorial Government, programmes of political education so that the people of Montserrat may be fully informed of the options available to them in the exercise of their right to self-determination and independence;

7. Calls upon the administering Power to continue, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to strengthen the economy and to increase its assistance to programmes of diversification;

8. Takes note of the growth of the manufacturing, construction and tourist industries, and urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to intensify the development of other sectors of the economy, in particular agriculture, livestock and fisheries, for the benefit of the people of the Territory;

9. Urges the administering Power in co-operation with the territorial Government, to continue to take effective measures to safeguard, guarantee and ensure the rights of the people of Montserrat to own and dispose of their natural resources and to establish and maintain control of their future development;

10. Urges also the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to continue to render the assistance necessary for the localization of the civil service, particularly at senior levels;

11. Takes note of the continued participation of the Territory in the work of the Caribbean Group for Co-operation and Economic Development, as well as such regional organizations as the Caribbean Community and the Caribbean Development Bank, and calls upon the organizations of the United Nations system, as well as donor Governments and regional organizations, to intensify their efforts to accelerate progress in the economic and social life of the Territory;

12. 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 Montserrat at an appropriate time and in consultation with the administering Power, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth session.