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A/RES/31/7 GA

Activities of foreign economic and other interests which are impeding the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and People in Southern Rhodesia and 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

31
Session
93
Yes
9
No
19
Abstentions
Draft symbol A/RES/31/7
Adopted symbol A/RES/31/7
Voeten Topics
P5 Positions
Russia United States United Kingdom China France
UN Document A/RES/31/7 ↗

Vote Recorded VoteA/31/PV.55 Oct. 22, 1976

— Abstain (19)
✗ No (9)
Absent (24)
✓ Yes (93)
Full text of resolution OCR extract — may contain errors
116 General Assembly-Thirty-first Session 31/7. Activities of foreign economic and other interests which are impeding the imple- mentation of the Declaration on the Grant- ing of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Southern Rhodesia and Namibia and in all other Territories under colonial domination and efforts to elimi- nate colonialism, apartheid and racial dis• crimination in southern Africa The General Assembly, Having considered the item entitled "Activities of for- eign economic and other interests which are impeding the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Southern Rhodesia and Namibia and in all other Terri- tories 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 relat- ing to this question,2 Taking into consideration the parts of the report of the United Nations Council for Namibia3 relating to this question, Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 Decem- ber 1960, containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and its resolution 2621 (XXV) of 12 October 1970, con- taining the programme of action for the full implemen- ta\ ion of the Declaration, as well as all other resolutions of the United Nations relating to the item, Reaffirming the solemn obligation of the administer- ing 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 nat- ural resources of those Territories against abuses, Reaffirming that any economic or other activity which impedes the implementation of the Declaration and obstructs efforts aimed at the elimination of colonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination in southern Africa and other colonial Territories violates the political, eco- nomic and social rights and interests of the peoples of the Territories and is therefore incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter, 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 related to the item and that they have failed to implement, in particular, General Assembly resolutions 2621 (XXV) of 12 October 1970 and 3398 (XXX) of 21 November 1975, by which the Assembly called upon the colonial Powers and those Governments which had not yet done so to take legis- lative, administrative or other measures in order to put an end to enterprises in colonial Territories, par- ticularly in Africa, which are owned by their nationals or bodies corporate under their jurisdiction, whenever such enterprises are detrimental to the interests of the inhabitants of those Territories, and to prevent new investments which run counter to such interests, 2 Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-first Ses- sion, Supplement No. 23 (A/31/23/Rev.1), chap. IV. 3 /bid., Supplement No. 24 (A/31/24). Condemning the intensified activities of those foreign economic, financial and other interests which continue to exploit the natural and human resources of the co- lonial Territories and to accumulate and repatriate huge profits to the detriment of the interests of the inhab- itants, particularly in southern Africa, thereby impeding the realization by the peoples of the Territories of their legitimate aspirations for self-determination and in- dependence, Strongly condemning the support which the racist minority regime of South Africa and the illegal racist minority regime in Southern Rhodesia continue to re- ceive from those foreign economic, financial and other interests which are collaborating with them in their ex- ploitation of the natural and human resources of, and in the further entrenchment of their illegal and racialist domination over, the international Territory of Namibia and the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Southern Rho- desia (Zimbabwe), respectively, Deeply concerned at the growing investments of for- eign capital in the production of uranium and military equipment and the extent of the nuclear and military collaboration between the racist minority regime of South Africa and some Western and other countries, in particular France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and North- ern Ireland and the United States of America, in provid- ing the Pretoria regime with equipment and technology, which increases its nuclear and military capability and reflects the intensified support of foreign interests in South Africa's continued illegal occupation of Namibia, as well as South Africa's own growth as a nuclear and military Power, Concerned also at the fact that foreign economic, financial and other interests continue to deprive the indigenous populations of other colonial Territories, including those in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean regions, of their rights over the wealth of their countries, and at the continued loss of ownership of land by the inhabitants of the Territories as a result of the unwilling- ness of the administering Powers to restrict the sale of land to foreigners, Conscious of the continued need to mobilize world public opinion against the involvement of foreign eco- nomic, financial and other interests in the exploitation of the natural and human resources, which impedes the independence of colonial Territories, particularly in Africa, 1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the peoples of dependent Territories to self-determination and in- dependence and to the enjoyment of the natural re- sources 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 which deprives the colonial peoples of the exer- cise 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 re- patriation of huge profits and the use of those profits for the enrichment of foreign settlers and the entrench- ment of colonial domination over the Territories, the activities of foreign economic, financial and other in- terests operating at present in the colonial Territories VII. Resolutions adopted on the reports of the Fourth Committee ll7 of southern Africa constitute a major obstacle to political independence and to the enjoyment of the natural re- sources of those Territories by the indigenous inhab- itants; 4. Condemns the activities of foreign economic and other interests in the colonial Territories that impede the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the efforts to eliminate colonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination; 5. Condemns the Governments which continue to support or collaborate with those foreign economic and other interests engaged in exploiting the natural and human resources of the Territories, thus violating the political, economic and social rights and interests of the indigenous peoples and obstructing the full and speedy implementation of the Declaration contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) in respect of those Territories; 6. Strongly condemns the collaboration in both nuclear and military fields between the racist minority regime of South Africa and all countries, in particular France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America, which continue to supply that regime with nuclear and military equipment and technology, thus increasing its nuclear and military potential, and calls upon all Governments, in particular France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States, to refrain from extending facilities, directly or indirectly, to the racist minority regime of South Africa enabling it to produce uranium, plutonium and other nuclear materials, re- actors or military equipment; 7. Calls once again upon all Governments which have not done so to take legislative, administrative or other measures in respect of their nationals and the bodies corporate under their jurisdiction who 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; 8. Condemns all Governments that violate the man- datory sanctions imposed by the Security Council against the illegal racist minority regime in Southern Rhodesia, as well as the continued failure of certain Member States to enforce those sanctions, as being contrary to the obligations assumed by them under Article 25 of the Charter; 9. Requests all States to take effective measures to end the supply of funds and other forms of assistance, including military supplies and equipment, to those regimes which use such assistance to repress the peoples of the colonial Territories and their national liberation movements; 10. Calls once again upon all States to discontinue all economic, financial or trade relations with South Africa concerning Namibia and to refrain from enter- ing into economic, financial or other relations with South Africa, acting on behalf of or concerning Namibia, which may lend support to its continued illegal occupa- tion of that Territory; 11. Strongly condemns the racist minority regime of South Africa which, in violation of the relevant reso- lotions of the United Nations and in open contra- vention of its specific obligations under Article 25 of the Charter, continues to collaborate with the illegal racist minority regime in Southern Rhodesia, and calls upon that Government to cease immediately all forms of collaboration with the illegal racist minority regime in Southern Rhodesia; 12. Invites all Governments and organizations within 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 197 4, 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 Terri- tories over their natural resources is fully respected and safeguarded; 13. Calls upon the administering Powers to abolish every discriminatory and unjust wage system which prevails in the Territories under their administration and to apply in each Territory a uniform system of wages to all the inhabitants without any discrimination; 14. Requests the Secretary-General to undertake, through the Office of Public Information of the Secre- tariat, a sustained and wide publicity campaign with a view to informing world public opinion of the facts concerning the pillaging of natural resources and the exploitation of the indigenous populations by foreign monopolies and the support they render to the co- lonialist and racist regimes; 15. Requests the Special Committee on the Sit- uation with regard to the Implementation of the Declara- tion on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Coun- tries and Peoples to continue to examine this question and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its thirty-second session. 55th plenary meeting 5 November 1976 31/29. Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter of the United Nations The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 1970 (XVIII) of 16 De- cember 1963, in which it requested the Special Com- mittee on the Situation with regard to the Implementa- tion of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to study the informa- tion transmitted to the Secretary-General under Ar- ticle 73 e of the Charter of the United Nations and to take such information fully into account in examining the situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration, Recalling also its resolution 3420 (XXX) of 8 De- cember 1975, in which it requested the Special Com- mittee to continue to discharge the functions entrusted to it under resolution 1970 (XVIII), Having examined the chapter of the report of the Special Committee dealing with the transmittal of in- formation under Article 73 e of the Charter4 and the action taken by the Committee in respect of that in- formation, ·1 !hid., Supplement No. 23 (A/31/23/Rev.l ), chap. XXXII.
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