United Nations

A/64/411
Distr.: General 28 October 2009 Original: English

General Assembly

Sixty-fourth session Agenda item 37

Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations
Report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee)
Rapporteur: Mr. Khalid Mohammed Osman Ali (Sudan)

I. Introduction
1. At its 2nd plenary meeting, on 18 September 2009, the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the General Committee, decided to include in the agenda of its sixty-fourth session the item entitled "Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations" and to allocate it to the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee). 2. At its 1st meeting, on 1 October 2009, the Fourth Committee decided to hold a general debate on decolonization items (agenda items 35 to 39). The general debate on the items was held at the 2nd and 6th meetings, on 5 and 9 October (see A/C.4/64/SR.2 and 6). The Committee took action on item 37 at its 7th meeting, on 12 October (see A/C.4/64/SR.7). 3. For its consideration of the item, the Committee had before it the following documents: (a) 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; 1 (b) Report of the Secretary-General (A/64/62).

__________________
1

Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 23 and corrigendum (A/64/23 and Corr.2), chaps. VI and XII.

09-54004 (E) 111109

*0954004*

A/64/411

4. At the 2nd meeting, on 5 October, the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic, in his capacity as Rapporteur 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, introduced the report of the Special Committee. At the same meeting, the representative of Indonesia, in his capacity as Chairman of the Special Committee, made a statement in which he gave an account of the activities of the Special Committee during 2009 (see A/C.4/64/SR.2).

II. Consideration of a draft resolution contained in chapter XII of the report of the Special Committee
5. At its 7th meeting, on 12 October, the Fourth Committee adopted draft resolution III, entitled "Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations", contained in chapter XII of the report of the Special Committee,1 by a recorded vote of 98 to none, with 50 abstentions (see para. 6). The voting was as follows: 2 In favour: Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe. Against: None. Abstaining: Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America.
__________________
2

Subsequently, the delegations of Chile, Guinea, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Pakistan indicated that they had intended to vote in favour.

2

09-54004

A/64/411

III. Recommendation of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee)
6. The Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the following draft resolution:

Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations
The General Assembly, Having considered the item entitled "Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations", Having also considered the report of the Secretary-General 1 and the report of the Economic and Social Council 2 on the item, 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 relating to the item, 3 Recalling its resolutions 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 and 1541 (XV) of 15 December 1960 and the resolutions of the Special Committee, as well as other relevant resolutions and decisions, including in particular Economic and Social Council resolution 2008/15 of 24 July 2008, Bearing in mind the relevant provisions of the final documents of the successive Conferences of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries and of the resolutions adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, the Pacific Islands Forum and the Caribbean Community, Conscious of the need to facilitate the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in resolution 1514 (XV), Noting that the large majority of the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories are small island Territories, Welcoming the assistance extended to Non-Self-Governing Territories by certain specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Development Programme, Also welcoming the participation in the capacity of observers of those Non Self-Governing Territories that are associate members of regional commissions in the world conferences in the economic and social spheres, subject to the rules of procedure of the General Assembly and in accordance with relevant resolutions and
__________________
1 2 3

A/64/62. E/2009/69. Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 23 and corrigendum (A/64/23 and Corr.2), chap VI.

09-54004

3

A/64/411

decisions of the United Nations, including resolutions and decisions of the Assembly and the Special Committee on specific Territories, Noting that only some specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system have been involved in providing assistance to Non-SelfGoverning Territories, Stressing that, because the development options of the small island Non-SelfGoverning Territories are limited, there are special challenges to planning for and implementing sustainable development and that those Territories will be constrained in meeting the challenges without the continuing cooperation and assistance of the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, Stressing also the importance of securing the necessary resources for funding expanded programmes of assistance for the peoples concerned and the need to enlist the support of all major funding institutions within the United Nations system in that regard, Reaffirming the mandates of the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system to take all appropriate measures, within their respective spheres of competence, to ensure the full implementation of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) and other relevant resolutions, Expressing its appreciation to the African Union, the Pacific Islands Forum, the Caribbean Community and other regional organizations for the continued cooperation and assistance they have extended to the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system in this regard, Expressing its conviction that closer contacts and consultations between and among the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system and regional organizations help to facilitate the effective formulation of programmes of assistance to the peoples concerned, Mindful of the imperative need to keep under continuous review the activities of the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system in the implementation of the various resolutions and decisions of the United Nations relating to decolonization, Bearing in mind the extremely fragile economies of the small island Non-SelfGoverning Territories and their vulnerability to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, cyclones and sea-level rise, and recalling the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 63/103 of 5 December 2008 on the implementation of the Declaration by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;1

2. Recommends that all States intensify their efforts in the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system in which they are members to ensure the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), and other relevant resolutions of the United Nations;

4

09-54004

A/64/411

3. Reaffirms that the specialized agencies and other organizations and institutions of the United Nations system should continue to be guided by the relevant resolutions of the United Nations in their efforts to contribute to the implementation of the Declaration and all other relevant resolutions of the General Assembly; Reaffirms also that the recognition by the General Assembly, the Security 4. Council and other United Nations organs of the legitimacy of the aspirations of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories to exercise their right to selfdetermination entails, as a corollary, the extension of all appropriate assistance to those peoples; Expresses its appreciation to those specialized agencies and other 5. organizations of the United Nations system that have continued to cooperate with the United Nations and the regional and subregional organizations in the implementation of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) and other relevant resolutions of the United Nations, and requests all the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system to implement the relevant provisions of those resolutions; Requests the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United 6. Nations system to intensify their engagement with 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 as an important element for the implementation of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), including possible participation at the regional seminars on decolonization, upon the invitation of the Special Committee; Requests the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United 7. Nations system and international and regional organizations to examine and review conditions in each Territory so as to take appropriate measures to accelerate progress in the economic and social sectors of the Territories; Urges those specialized agencies and other organizations of the United 8. Nations system that have not yet provided assistance to Non-Self-Governing Territories to do so as soon as possible; Requests the specialized agencies and other organizations and institutions 9. of the United Nations system and regional organizations to strengthen existing measures of support and formulate appropriate programmes of assistance to the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, within the framework of their respective mandates, in order to accelerate progress in the economic and social sectors of those Territories; 10. Requests the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system concerned to provide information on: (a) Environmental problems facing the Non-Self-Governing Territories;

(b) The impact of natural disasters, such as hurricanes and volcanic eruptions, and other environmental problems, such as beach and coastal erosion and droughts, on those Territories; (c) Ways and means to assist the Territories to fight drug trafficking, moneylaundering and other illegal and criminal activities;

09-54004

5

A/64/411

(d) Illegal exploitation of the marine and other natural resources of the Territories and the need to utilize those resources for the benefit of the peoples of the Territories; 11. Recommends that the executive heads of the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system formulate, with the active cooperation of the regional organizations concerned, concrete proposals for the full implementation of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and submit the proposals to their governing and legislative organs; 12. Also recommends that the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system continue to review at the regular meetings of their governing bodies the implementation of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) and other relevant resolutions of the United Nations; 13. Recalls the adoption by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean of its resolution 574 (XXVII) of 16 May 1998, 4 calling for the necessary mechanisms for its associate members, including Non-Self-Governing Territories, to participate in the special sessions of the General Assembly, subject to the rules of procedure of the Assembly, to review and assess the implementation of the plans of action of those United Nations world conferences in which the Territories originally participated in the capacity of observer, and in the work of the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies; 14. Requests the Chairperson 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 to continue to maintain close contact on these matters with the President of the Economic and Social Council; 15. Recalls the publication by the Department of Public Information and the Department of Political Affairs of the Secretariat, in consultation with the United Nations Development Programme, the specialized agencies and the Special Committee, of an information leaflet on assistance programmes available to the Non-Self-Governing Territories, which was updated for the United Nations website on decolonization, and requests its continued updating and wide dissemination; 16. Welcomes the continuing efforts made by the United Nations Development Programme in maintaining close liaison among the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, including the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and in providing assistance to the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories; 17. Encourages the Non-Self-Governing Territories to take steps to establish and/or strengthen disaster preparedness and management institutions and policies, inter alia, with the assistance of the relevant specialized agencies; 18. Requests the administering Powers concerned to facilitate, when appropriate, the participation of appointed and elected representatives of Non-SelfGoverning Territories in the relevant meetings and conferences of the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, in accordance with
__________________
4

See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1998, Supplement No. 21 (E/1998/41), sect. III.G.

6

09-54004

A/64/411

relevant resolutions and decisions of the United Nations, including resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly and the Special Committee on specific Territories, so that the Territories may benefit from the related activities of those agencies and organizations; 19. Recommends that all Governments intensify their efforts in the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system of which they are members to accord priority to the question of providing assistance to the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories; 20. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to assist the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system in working out appropriate measures for implementing the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and to prepare for submission to the relevant bodies, with the assistance of those agencies and organizations, a report on the action taken in implementation of the relevant resolutions, including the present resolution, since the circulation of his previous report; 21. Commends the Economic and Social Council for its debate and resolution on this question, and requests it to continue to consider, in consultation with the Special Committee, appropriate measures for the coordination of the policies and activities of the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system in implementing the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly; 22. Requests the specialized agencies to report periodically to the SecretaryGeneral on the implementation of the present resolution; 23. Requests the Secretary-General to transmit the present resolution to the governing bodies of the appropriate specialized agencies and international institutions associated with the United Nations so that those bodies may take the measures necessary to implement the resolution, and also requests the SecretaryGeneral to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session on the implementation of the present resolution; 24. Requests the Special Committee to continue to examine the question and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session.

09-54004

7