A/RES/56/74 GA

United Nations A/RES/56/74 General Assembly Distr.: General 24 January 2002 Fifty-sixth session Agenda item 18 01 48990 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [without reference to a Main Committee (A/56/L.40)] 56/74. Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples The General Assembly, Having examined 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,1 Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and all its subsequent resolutions concerning the implementation of the Declaration, most recently resolution 55/147 of 8 December 2000, as well as the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, Bearing in mind the declaration of the period 2001–2010 as the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, and the need to examine ways to ascertain the wishes of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories on the basis of resolution 1514 (XV) and other relevant resolutions on decolonization, Recognizing that the eradication of colonialism has been one of the priorities of the Organization and continues to be one of its priorities for the decade that began in 2001, Reconfirming the need to take measures to eliminate colonialism before 2010, as called for in its resolution 55/146 of 8 December 2000, Reiterating its conviction of the need for the eradication of colonialism, as well as of racial discrimination and violations of basic human rights, Noting with satisfaction the achievements of the Special Committee in contributing to the effective and complete implementation of the Declaration and other relevant resolutions of the United Nations on decolonization, Stressing the importance of the participation of the administering Powers in the work of the Special Committee, _______________ 1 A/56/23 (Parts I–III). For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 23. A/RES/56/74 2 Noting with concern that the non-participation of certain administering Powers has adversely affected the implementation of the mandate and work of the Special Committee, Noting with satisfaction the cooperation and active participation of some administering Powers in the work of the Special Committee, Noting that the other administering Powers have now agreed to work informally with the Special Committee, Taking note of the consultations and agreements between the parties concerned in some Non-Self-Governing Territories and the action taken by the Secretary- General in relation to certain Non-Self-Governing Territories, Aware of the pressing need of newly independent and emerging States for assistance from the United Nations and its system of organizations in the economic, social and other fields, Aware also of the pressing need of many of the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, including in particular small island Territories, for economic, social and other assistance from the United Nations and the organizations of its system, Taking special note of the fact that the Special Committee held a Caribbean regional seminar to review the situation in the small island Non-Self-Governing Territories, particularly their political evolution towards self-determination for the year 2001 and beyond, in Havana from 23 to 25 May 2001,2 1. Reaffirms its resolution 1514 (XV) and all other resolutions and decisions on decolonization, including its resolution 55/146, in which it declares the period 2001–2010 the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, and calls upon the administering Powers, in accordance with those resolutions, to take all necessary steps to enable the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories concerned to exercise fully as soon as possible their right to self-determination, including independence; 2. Reaffirms once again that the existence of colonialism in any form or manifestation, including economic exploitation, is incompatible with the Charter of the United Nations, the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;3 3. Reaffirms its determination to continue to take all steps necessary to bring about the complete and speedy eradication of colonialism and the faithful observance by all States 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; 4. Affirms once again its support for the aspirations of the peoples under colonial rule to exercise their right to self-determination, including independence, in accordance with relevant resolutions of the United Nations on decolonization; 5. Approves the report of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to _______________ 2 See A/56/23 (Part I), chap. II, annex. For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 23. 3 Resolution 217 A (III). A/RES/56/74 3 Colonial Countries and Peoples covering its work during 2001, including the programme of work envisaged for 2002;4 6. Calls upon the administering Powers to cooperate fully with the Special Committee to finalize before the end of 2002 a constructive programme of work on a case-by-case basis for the Non-Self-Governing Territories to facilitate the implementation of the mandate of the Special Committee and the relevant resolutions on decolonization, including resolutions on specific Territories; 7. Welcomes the ongoing consultations between the Special Committee and New Zealand, as administering Power for Tokelau, with the participation of representatives of the people of Tokelau, with a view to formulating a programme of work on the question of Tokelau; 8. Requests the Special Committee to continue to seek suitable means for the immediate and full implementation of the Declaration and to carry out those actions approved by the General Assembly regarding the International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism and the Second International Decade in all Territories that have not yet exercised their right to self-determination, including independence, and in particular: (a) To formulate specific proposals to bring about an end to colonialism and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session; (b) To continue to examine the implementation by Member States of resolution 1514 (XV) and other relevant resolutions on decolonization; (c) To continue to pay special attention to the small Territories, including through the dispatch of visiting missions, and to recommend to the General Assembly the most suitable steps to be taken to enable the populations of those Territories to exercise their right to self-determination, including independence; (d) To finalize before the end of 2002 a constructive programme of work on a case-by-case basis for the Non-Self-Governing Territories to facilitate the implementation of the mandate of the Special Committee and the relevant resolutions on decolonization, including resolutions on specific Territories; (e) To take all necessary steps to enlist worldwide support among Governments, as well as national and international organizations, for the achievement of the objectives of the Declaration and the implementation of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations; (f) To conduct seminars, as appropriate, for the purpose of receiving and disseminating information on the work of the Special Committee, and to facilitate participation by the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories in those seminars; (g) To observe annually the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non- Self-Governing Territories;5 9. Calls upon all States, in particular the administering Powers, as well as the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, to give effect within their respective spheres of competence to the recommendations of _______________ 4 See A/56/23 (Part I), chap. I, sect. J. For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 23. 5 See resolution 2911 (XXVII). A/RES/56/74 4 the Special Committee for the implementation of the Declaration and other relevant resolutions of the United Nations; 10. Calls upon the administering Powers to ensure that the economic activities in the Non-Self-Governing Territories under their administration do not adversely affect the interests of the peoples but instead promote development, and to assist them in the exercise of their right to self-determination; 11. Urges the administering Powers concerned to take effective measures to safeguard and guarantee the inalienable rights of the peoples of the Non-Self- Governing Territories to their natural resources, including land, and to establish and maintain control over the future development of those resources, and requests the administering Powers to take all necessary steps to protect the property rights of the peoples of those Territories; 12. Reiterates that military activities and arrangements by administering Powers in the Non-Self-Governing Territories under their administration should not run counter to the rights and interests of the peoples of the Territories concerned, especially their right to self-determination, including independence, calls upon the administering Powers concerned to terminate such activities and to eliminate the remaining military bases in compliance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, and also calls upon the administering Powers to promote alternative sources of livelihood for the peoples of the Territories concerned; 13. Urges all States, directly and through their action in the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, to provide moral and material assistance to the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories, and requests that the administering Powers take steps to enlist and make effective use of all possible assistance, on both a bilateral and a multilateral basis, in the strengthening of the economies of those Territories; 14. Reaffirms that the United Nations visiting missions to the Territories are an effective means of ascertaining the situation in the Territories, as well as the wishes and aspirations of their inhabitants, and calls upon the administering Powers to continue to cooperate with the Special Committee in the discharge of its mandate and to facilitate visiting missions to the Territories; 15. Calls upon the administering Powers that have not participated formally in the work of the Special Committee to do so at its session in 2002; 16. Requests the Secretary-General, the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system to provide economic, social and other assistance to the Non-Self-Governing Territories and to continue to do so, as appropriate, after they exercise their right to self-determination, including independence; 17. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Special Committee with the facilities and services required for the implementation of the present resolution, as well as of the other resolutions and decisions on decolonization adopted by the General Assembly and the Special Committee. 82nd plenary meeting 10 December 2001

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