A/RES/1608(XV) GA

10 General Assembly - Fifteenth Session to be constituted in Ruanda-Urundi will give urgent consideration to these problems",5 Recalling that the Trusteeship Council and the Com- mittee on Rural Economic Development have in the past made various studies of the problem of population, land utilization and land tenure system in Ruanda- U rundi, Bearing in mind that the majority of the petitioners are agreed that this problem is of vital importance to the Territory, Considering that a satisfactory land tenure system is essential to the peaceful evolution and satisfactory eco- nomic development of newly independent territories, 1. Recommends that the Administering Authority urgently request the United Nations and the specialized agencies, under the technical assistance programmes, to dispatch an expert mission to study the problem of land tenure and land utilization in Ruanda-Urundi, in co- operation with the local authorities, with a view to de- termining how far the present system is prejudicial to the Territory's social and economic development, and to recommend corrective measures; 2. Expresses the hope that the Technical Assistance Board and the specialized agencies concerned will give favourable consideration to such a request. 994th plenary meeting, 21 April 1961. 1607 (XV). Dissemination of information on the United Nations and the International Trusteeship Sy,stem in Trust Territories The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 1276 (XIII) of 5 December 1958 and resolution 1410 (XIV) of 5 December 1959 whereby the General Assembly, inter alia, requested the Secretary-General to initiate discussions with the Ad- ministering Authorities of Trust Territories with a view to establishing, during 1960, in at least some of the larger Trust Territories, such as Tanganyika, Ruanda- Urundi and New Guinea, United Kations information centres in which the responsible positions would be occupied preferably by indigenous inhabitants of the Trust Territories concerned, Having perused the report of the Secretary-General6 prepared in accordance with General Assembly resolu- tion 1410 (XIV), and observing therefrom that the dissemination of information on the United Nations among the peoples of the Trust Territories is still far from satisfactory, Keeping in view the special status of Trust Territories and their inhabitants and also the General Assembly's own special responsibilities under Chapters XII and XIII of the Charter of the United Nations, Reiterating that it is essential, in the General As- sembly's view, that the peoples of Trust Territories should receive adequate information concerning the purposes and operation of the United Nations and of the International Trusteeship System, the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples contained in Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, 5 Official Records of the General Assl'mbly, Fifteenth Session, Supplement No. 4 (A/4404), part II, chapter II, para. 184. 'Ibid., Fifteenth Session, Annexes, agenda item 46, docu- ments A/4542 and Add.I. 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on dissemination of information on the United Nations and the International Trusteeship System in Trust Territories ; 2. Considers that United Nations information centres constitute one of the most important means of dissemi- nating information about the United Nations in these Territories; 3. Takes note of the statement of the representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland that, as a result of discussions between the Secretary-General and the Administering Authority, steps have been taken to establish, in the near future, a United Nations information centre in Tanganyika; 4. Takes further note of the recommendation in paragraph 224 of the interim report of the United Nations Commission for Ruanda-Urundi3 that a United Nations information centre should be set up with all possible speed in Ruanda-l:'rundi; 5. Requests the Secretary-General to take the neces- sary action to establish, without any further delay, in Tanganyika, Ruanda-Urundi and New Guinea, United Nations information centres in which the responsible positions would be occupied by indigenous inhabitants of the Trust Territories concerned; 6. Invites the Administering Authorities to extend their co-operation and assistance to the Secretary- General in implementing the present resolution ; 7. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the im- mediate and mass publication and the widest possible circulation and dissemination, in all the Trust Terri- tories through all media of mass communication, of the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples ; 8. Requests that the information referred to in the present resolution should be disseminated in the prin- cipal local languages as well as in the language of the Administering Authority; 9. Further requests the Secretary-General to prepare for the Trusteeship Council at its twenty-seventh ses- sion and for the General Assembly at its sixteenth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution. 994th plenary meeting, 21 April 1961. 1608 (XV). The future of the Trust Territory of the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 1350 (XIII) of 13 March 1959 concerning the future of the Trust Territory of the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration in which the General Assembly recommended, inter alia, that the Administering Authority take steps, in comultation with the L'nited Nations Plebiscite Com- missioner for the Cameroons under United Kingdom Administration, to organize, under the supervision of the United Nations, separate plebiscites in the northern and southern parts of the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration, in order to ascertain the wishes of the inhabitants oi the Territory concerning their future, and that the plebiscite in the Northern Cameroons be held about the middle of November 1959 Resolutions adopted on the reports of the Fourth Committee 11 on the basis of the two questions set out in paragraph 2 of the said resolution, Recalling its resolution 1352 (XIV) of 16 October 1959 whereby it decided, inter alia, that a plebiscite in the Southern Cameroons would be held between 30 Sep- tember 1960 and March 1961, on the basis of the two questions set forth in paragraph 2 of the said resolution, Recalling further its resolution 1473 (XIV) of 12 December 1959 in which the General Assembly, having considered the results of the plebiscite in the northern part of the Cameroons under United Kingdom adminis- tration, recommended the organization by the Adminis- tering Authority, in consultation with the United Nations Plebiscite Commissioner, of a further plebiscite to be held in the Northern Cameroons under United Nations supervision between 30 September 1960 and March 1961, on the basis of the two questions defined in paragraph 3 of the said resolution, Having examined the report of the United Nations Plebiscite Commissioner concerning the two plebiscites held in the :-J orthern and the Southern Cameroons in February 196l7 and the report of the Trusteeship Coun- cil thereon,8 Having heard the petitioners, 1. Expresses its high appreciation of the work of United :-Jations Plebiscite Commissioner for the Cameroons under United Kingdom Administration and his staff; 2. End orsc s the results of the plebiscites that : (a) The people of the Northern Cameroons have, by a substantial majority, decided to achieve independence by jr;ning the independent Federation of Nigeria; ( b) The people of the Southern Camerouns have similarly decided to achieve independence by joining the independent Republic of Cameroun; 3. Considers that, the people of the two parts of the Trust Territory having freely and secretly expressed their wishes with regard to their respective futures in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 1352 (XIV) and 1473 (XIV), the decisions made by them through democratic processes under the supervision of the United Nations should be immediately implemented; 4. Decides that, the plebiscites having been taken separately with differing results, the Trusteeship Agreement of 13 December 1946 concerning the Came- roons under United Kingdom administration shall be terminated, in accordance with Article 76 b of the Charter of the United Nations and in agreement with the Administering Authority, in the following manner: (a) \Vith respect to the Northern Cameroons, on 1 June 1961, upon its joining the Federation of Nigeria as a separate province of the Northern Region of Ni- geria; ( b) With respect to the Southern Cameroons, on 1 October 1961, upon its joining the Republic of Came- roun; 5. Invites the Administering Authority, the Govern- ment of the Southern Cameroons and the Republic of Cameroun to initiate urgent discussions with a view to finalizing, before 1 October 1961, the arrangements by which the agreed and declared policies of the parties concerned will be implemented. 994th plenary meetinq, 21 April 1961. 7 Ibid., agenda item 13, addendum, document A/4727. • Ibid., agenda item 13, document A/4726. 1609 (XV). The future of Tanganyika The General Assembly, Having considered the communication of 17 April 1961 from the Administering Authority,!• 1. Notes that the Governments of the United King- dom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Tanganyika have agreed that Tanganyika should be- come independent on 28 December 1961; 2. Resolves, in agreement with the Administering Authority, that the Trusteeship Agreement for Tan- ganyika, approved by the Ceneral Assembly on 13 December 1946, shall cease to be in force upon the accession of Tanganyika to independence on 28 Decem- ber 1961; 3. Recommends that, upon the attainment of its indepenclence on 28 December 1961, Tanganyika shall he admitted to membership in the United Nations in accordance with Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations: 4. Reqursts the Administering Authority to present to the Trusteeship Council, at its twenty-seventh session to be held in the :-;ummer of 1961, further information on the constitutional conference held at Dar es Salaam in March 1961 and on the measures already taken or planned by the Administering Authority to ensure the transfer of power:; to the legislative and executive or- gans of Tanganyika. 995th plenary meeting, 21 April 1961. 1610 (XV). Report of the Trusteeship Council The General Asscmb/:,,,1, Having received the report of the Trusteeship Coun- cil covering the period from 7 August 19 59 to 30 June 1960,10 1. Takes note of the report of the Trusteeship Coun- cil; 2. Recommends that the Administering Authorities take account of the recommendations and observations contained in the report. 995th plenary meeting, 21 April 1961. 1611 (XV). Offers by Member States of study and training facilities for inhabitants of Trust Territories The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 1411 (XIV) of 5 December 1959, which requested the Secretary-General to pre- pare, for the fifteenth session of the General Assembly, a report on the actual use of scholarships and training facilities offered by Member States to students from Trust Territories, in accordance with its resolution 557 (VI) of 18 January 1952 which invited Member States to make scholarships available to qualified students from Trust Territories, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-Gen- eral 11 and -of part I, chapter VI, section D, of the report of the Trusteeship Council,10 containing information on • I hid., document A/C.4/489. 10 Ibid., Fifteenth Session, Supplement No. 4 (1\/4404). 11 //,id., Fifteenth Session, Annexes, agenda item 47, doct1- ments A/4498 and Add.I.

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