Question of the Cayman Islands : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

  • Author: UN General Assembly (44th sess. : 1989-1990)
  • Document source:
  • Date:
    11 December 1989

The General Assembly,

Having considered the question of the Cayman Islands,

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, and all resolutions and decisions of the United Nations relating to the Cayman Islands, in particular General Assembly resolution 43/37 of 22 November 1988,

Conscious of the need to ensure the full and speedy implementation of the Declaration in respect of the Territory,

Having heard the statement of the representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as the administering Power,

Noting the stated policy of the Government of the United Kingdom, the administering Power, that it remains ready to respond positively to the express wish of the people of the Territory on the question of independence,

Aware of the special circumstances of the geographical location and economic conditions of the Territory and bearing in mind the necessity of diversifying and strengthening further its economy as a matter of priority in order to promote economic stability,

Noting the measures being taken by the territorial Government to promote agricultural production with a view to reducing the Territory's dependence on imported provisions,

Expressing its concern that property and land continue to be owned and developed largely by investors from abroad,

Noting that a large proportion of the labour force of the Territory consists of expatriates,

Noting with concern the vulnerability of the Territory to drug trafficking and related activities,

Noting with appreciation the continued contribution of the United Nations Development Programme, as well as regional institutions, to the development of the Territory,

Recalling the dispatch in 1977 of a United Nations visiting mission to the Territory,

Mindful that United Nations visiting missions provide an effective means of ascertaining the situation in the small Territories and considering that the possibility of sending a further visiting mission to the Cayman Islands at an appropriate time should be kept under review,

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 the Cayman Islands;

2.         Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of the Cayman Islands to self-determination and independence in conformity with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;

3.         Reiterates the view that such factors as territorial 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 Cayman Islands;

4.         Reiterates that it is the responsibility of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as the administering Power, to create such conditions in the Territory as will enable the people of the Cayman Islands to exercise freely and without interference their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in accordance with resolution 1514 (XV) and all other relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

5.         Reaffirms that it is ultimately for the people of the Cayman Islands themselves to determine their future political status in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Declaration and, in that connection, reaffirms the importance of fostering an awareness among the people of the Territory of the possibilities open to them in the exercise of their right to self-determination and independence;

6.         Calls upon the administering Power, in consultation with the territorial Government, to facilitate and promote increased participation by the local population in the decision-making process in the affairs of the Territory;

7.         Reaffirms the responsibility of the administering Power to promote the economic and social development of the Territory and recommends that priority should continue to be given to the diversification of the Territory's economy;

8.         Urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to take effective measures to safeguard and guarantee the inalienable right of the people of the Cayman Islands to own and dispose of the natural resources of the Territory, including marine resources, and to establish and maintain control over the future development of those resources;

9.         Calls upon the administering Power to continue to take all necessary measures, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to counter problems related to drug trafficking;

10.       Invites the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, as well as other international and regional institutions, to continue to take all necessary measures to accelerate progress in the social and economic life of the Territory;

11.       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 the Cayman Islands at an appropriate time and in consultation with the administering Power, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-fifth session.

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