Twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

 

Twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples

  The General Assembly, Recalling the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, Having held, in the year of the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations, a special commemorative plenary meeting in observance of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Recalling the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, in which the peoples of the world proclaimed their determination to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, Recalling also the relevant provisions of the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, Recalling its resolutions 2621 (XXV) of 12 October 1970, containing the programme of action for the full implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and 35/118 of 11 December 1980, the annex to which contains the Plan of Action for the Full Implementation of the Declaration, Considering that the process of national liberation is irresistible and irreversible, and recalling that the Declaration solemnly proclaimed the necessity speedily and unconditionally to put an end to colonialism in all its forms and manifestations, Recognizing the significant and commendable role played by the United Nations, since its very inception, in the field of decolonization and noting the emergence, during this period, of about one hundred States into sovereign existence, Noting with satisfaction, in particular, that during the past twenty-five years a large number of former colonial Territories have achieved independence, mainly through the courageous liberation struggle carried out by the peoples of those countries, led by their national liberation movements, and that many former Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories have exercised their right to self-determination and independence in accordance with the Declaration, Noting also with satisfaction the important contribution made by the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in furthering the aims and objectives of the Declaration with a view to the liberation of peoples from colonial rule, Noting further with satisfaction the active and important role being played by former colonial Territories, as States Members of the United Nations and members of the other organizations of the United Nations system in the realization of the purposes and principles of the Charter, the preservation of international peace and security, decolonization and the promotion of human progress, as well as the profound impact thereof on contemporary international relations, Conscious of the fact that the Declaration has played an important role in assisting the peoples under colonial rule and will continue to serve as an inspiration in their efforts to achieve self-determination and independence in accordance with the Charter and in mobilizing world public opinion for the complete elimination of colonialism in all its forms and manifestations, Deeply concerned at the fact that, twenty-five years after the adoption of the Declaration, colonialism in the world has not yet been totally eradicated, particularly in Namibia, Strongly condemning the continuing illegal occupation of Namibia and the colonial oppression of its people by the racist regime of Pretoria, which completely disregards the inalienable right of the people of Namibia to self-determination and independence, Reaffirming that all peoples have the right to self-determination and independence and that the subjection of peoples to colonial domination constitutes a denial of fundamental human rights and is a serious impediment to the maintenance of international peace and security and the development of peaceful relations among nations, Increasingly aware of the importance of economic, social and cultural development and self-reliance of colonial countries and peoples for the attainment and consolidation of genuine independence, Convinced that the total eradication of racial discrimination, apartheid and violations of the basic human rights of the peoples in the remaining colonial Territories, particularly in Namibia, will be achieved peacefully and most expeditiously by the faithful and complete implementation of the Declaration, Determined to take effective measures leading to the complete and unconditional elimination of colonialism in all its forms and manifestations without further delay,

1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of all peoples under colonial rule to self-determination and independence in accordance with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);

2. Declares that the continuation of colonialism in all its forms and manifestations, including racism and apartheid, is incompatible with the Charter of the United Nations, the Declaration and the principles of international law;

3. Expresses its conviction that the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration should provide an opportunity for Member States to rededicate themselves to the principles and objectives enunciated in that document and for concerted efforts to be made to remove the last vestiges of colonialism in all regions of the world;

4. Strongly condemns South Africa's continued illegal occupation of Namibia, its defiance of United Nations resolutions, its brutal repression of the Namibian people, its aggressive activities and acts of destabilization against neighbouring independent African States and its policies of apartheid, as well as its acquisition of nuclear-weapon capability, which constitute a threat to international peace and security;

5. Calls upon Member States, in particular colonial Powers, to take effective steps with a view to the complete, unconditional and speedy eradication of colonialism in all its forms and manifestations and to the faithful and strict observance of the relevant provisions of the Charter, the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as other relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly and those of the Security Council;

6. Urges Member States to do their utmost to promote, in the United Nations and the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, effective measures for the full and speedy implementation of the Declaration in all colonial Territories to which the Declaration applies;

7. Calls upon Member States to render, as a matter of urgency, all moral and material assistance to the peoples under colonial rule in their struggle to exercise their right to self-determination and independence, in accordance with the Charter and the Declaration;

8. Urges the administering Powers and other Member States to ensure that the activities of foreign economic and other interests in colonial Territories do not run counter to the interests of the inhabitants of those Territories and do not impede the implementation of the Declaration;

9. Requests Member States to take legislative, administrative or other measures in respect of their nationals and the bodies corporate under their jurisdiction that illegally own and operate enterprises, including transnational corporations, in the international Territory of Namibia in order to put an end to such operations;

10. Urges Member States to discontinue all economic, financial, trade and other relations with the racist minority regime of South Africa in respect of Namibia and to refrain from entering into any relations with South Africa which may lend legitimacy or support to its continued illegal occupation of that Territory;

11. Requests Member States, as well as the organizations of the United Nations system, to ensure that the permanent sovereignty of the colonial Territories over their natural resources is fully respected and safeguarded;

12. Reaffirms that all administering Powers are obliged, under the Charter and in accordance with the Declaration, to create economic, social and other conditions in the Territories under their administration which will enable those Territories to achieve genuine independence and economic self-reliance;

13. Requests the administering Powers concerned to adopt the necessary measures to discourage or prevent any systematic influx of immigrants and settlers into the Territories under their administration which might disrupt the demographic composition of those Territories and prevent the genuine exercise of the right to self-determination and independence by their peoples, and to avoid any forced displacement, complete or partial, of the population of colonial Territories;

14. Further requests the administering Powers to preserve the cultural identity, as well as the national unity, of the Territories under their administration and to encourage the full development of the indigenous culture, with a view to facilitating the unfettered exercise of the right to self-determination and independence by the peoples of those Territories;

15. Reaffirms its strong conviction that the presence of all kinds of military bases and installations in colonial Territories could constitute a major obstacle to the implementation of the Declaration and that it is the responsibility of the administering Powers concerned to ensure that the existence of such bases and installations does not hinder the peoples of the Territories from exercising their right to self-determination and independence in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter and the Declaration;

16. Calls upon the administering Powers concerned to continue to take all necessary measures not to involve those Territories in any offensive acts or interference against other States and to comply fully with the purposes and principles of the Charter, the Declaration and the resolutions and decisions of the United Nations relating to military activities and arrangements by colonial Powers in Territories under their administration;

17. Requests Member States, in particular the administering Powers, to adopt appropriate measures to prevent the recruitment, financing, training and transit of mercenaries in their territories for use against the national liberation movements struggling for freedom and independence from the yoke of colonialism, racism and apartheid;

18. Considers it incumbent upon the United Nations to continue to play an active role in the process of decolonization and to intensify its efforts for the widest possible dissemination of information on decolonization, with a view to the further mobilization of international public opinion in support of complete decolonization;

19. Urges Member States to ensure the full and speedy implementation of the Declaration and other relevant resolutions of the United Nations;

20. Invites the Security Council to continue to give special attention to the situation in and around Namibia and to consider imposing mandatory sanctions against South Africa under Chapter VII of the Charter;

21. Requests the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system to render, or continue to render, within their respective spheres of competence, all possible moral and material assistance to the peoples of the colonial Territories and to their national liberation movements, to take measures to withhold from the apartheid regime of South Africa any form of collaboration or assistance in the financial, economic and technical fields and to discontinue all support to that regime until the people of Namibia have exercised their right to self-determination and independence in a united Namibia and until apartheid has been eradicated and a non-racial, united and democratic State based on the will of all South African people has been established in accordance with the relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly and the Security Council;

22. Invites non-governmental organizations having a special interest in the field of decolonization to intensify their activities in co-operation with the United Nations;

23. Requests the Special Committee to continue to examine the full compliance of all States with the Declaration and with other relevant resolutions on the question of decolonization, to seek the most suitable ways for the speedy and total application of the Declaration to all Territories to which it applies and to propose to the General Assembly specific measures for the complete implementation of the Declaration in the remaining colonial Territories;

24. Invites all States to co-operate fully with the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in the complete fulfilment of its mandate..