A/RES/70/231 GA

United Nations A/RES/70/231 General Assembly Distr.: General 30 December 2015 Seventieth session Agenda item 63 15-16985 (E) *1516985* Please recycle Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 23 December 2015 [on the report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) (A/70/505)] 70/231. 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 for 2015,1 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, the most recent of which was resolution 69/107 of 5 December 2014, as well as the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, Bearing in mind its resolution 65/119 of 10 December 2010, by which it declared the period 2011–2020 the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, and the need to examine ways and means 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 United Nations and continues to be one of its priorities for the decade that began in 2011, Regretting that measures to eliminate colonialism by 2010, as called for in its resolution 55/146 of 8 December 2000, have not been successful, Reiterating its conviction of the need for the eradication of colonialism, as well as racial discrimination and violations of basic human rights, Noting with satisfaction the continued efforts 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 formal participation of the administering Powers in the work of the Special Committee, _______________ 1 Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventieth Session, Supplement No. 23 (A/70/23). A/RES/70/231 Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples 2/4 Noting with satisfaction the cooperation and active participation of certain administering Powers in the work of the Special Committee, and encouraging the others also to do so, Noting that the Caribbean regional seminar was held in Managua from 19 to 21 May 2015, 1. Reaffirms its resolution 1514 (XV) and all other resolutions and decisions on decolonization, including its resolution 65/119, by which it declared the period 2011–2020 the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, and calls upon the administering Powers, in accordance with those resolutions, to take all steps necessary to enable the peoples of the Non-Self- Governing Territories to exercise fully as soon as possible their right to self- determination, including independence, on a case-by-case basis; 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;2 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 its support once again for the aspirations of the peoples under colonial rule to exercise their right to self-determination, including independence, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations on decolonization; 5. Calls upon all the administering Powers to cooperate fully in the work 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 and to participate formally in its future sessions and seminars; 6. Calls upon the administering Powers to cooperate fully with the Special Committee to develop and finalize, as soon as possible, 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. Recalls with satisfaction the professional, open and transparent conduct of both the February 2006 and the October 2007 referendums to determine the future status of Tokelau, monitored by the United Nations; 8. Requests the Special Committee to continue to seek suitable means for the immediate and full implementation of the Declaration and to carry out the actions approved by the General Assembly regarding the Second and Third International Decades for the Eradication of Colonialism 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 seventy-first session; _______________ 2 Resolution 217 A (III). Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples A/RES/70/231 3/4 (b) To continue to examine the implementation by Member States of resolution 1514 (XV) and other relevant resolutions on decolonization; (c) To continue to examine the political, economic and social situation in the Non-Self-Governing Territories, and to recommend to the General Assembly, as appropriate, the most suitable steps to be taken to enable the populations of those Territories to exercise their right to self-determination, including independence, in accordance with the relevant resolutions on decolonization, including resolutions on specific Territories; (d) To develop and finalize, as soon as possible and in cooperation with the administering Power and the Territory in question, 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 continue to dispatch visiting and special missions to the Non-Self- Governing Territories in accordance with the relevant resolutions on decolonization, including resolutions on specific Territories; (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 take all steps necessary 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; (h) To observe annually the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories; 9. Calls upon the administering Powers to continue to cooperate with the Special Committee in the discharge of its mandate and, inter alia, to facilitate visiting missions of the Committee to the Territories on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions on specific Territories; 10. Reaffirms that the United Nations visiting missions to the Non-Self- Governing Territories, where applicable, are an effective means of ascertaining the situation of the peoples of the Territories, in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions on specific Territories, and therefore requests the Special Committee to undertake at least one visiting mission a year; 11. Recalls that the plan of action for the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, 3 updated as necessary, represents an important legislative authority for the attainment of self-government by the Non-Self- Governing Territories, and that the case-by-case assessment of the attainment of self-government in each Territory can make an important contribution to this process; 12. 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 _______________ 3 A/56/61, annex. A/RES/70/231 Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples 4/4 the Special Committee for the implementation of the Declaration and other relevant resolutions of the United Nations; 13. Calls upon the administering Powers to ensure that economic and other 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; 14. Urges the administering Powers to take effective measures to safeguard and guarantee the inalienable rights of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories to their natural resources and to establish and maintain control over the future development of those resources, and requests the relevant administering Powers to take all steps necessary to protect the property rights of the peoples of those Territories; 15. 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, as needed, to the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories, and requests the administering Powers to 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; 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, President pro tempore of the Special Committee, to meet informally at least once a year with the Chair and the Bureau of the Committee during the intersessional period, in order to explore innovative ways of using his good offices to help to advance the decolonization agenda on a case-by- case basis; 18. Approves the report of the Special Committee covering its work during 2015,1 in which the programme of work for 2016 is outlined, in particular the Pacific regional seminar and a visiting mission to one of the Territories on its agenda, in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions on specific Territories; 19. Requests the Secretary-General to review and augment the resources at the disposal of the Special Committee in order to ensure that the Committee has the funding, facilities and services commensurate with its envisioned yearly programmes, as mandated in relevant General Assembly resolutions, including, especially, in paragraph 7 of its resolution 69/107. 82nd plenary meeting 23 December 2015

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