General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

2 December 1985

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                       A/RES/40/42
                                                       2 December 1985
                                                       99th plenary meeting
                               Question of Guam
 
     The General Assembly,
 
     Having considered the question of Guam,
 
     Having examined the 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, 
 
     Recalling its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, containing the
Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,
and all other resolutions and decisions of the United Nations relating to
Guam, including in particular its resolution 39/32 of 5 December 1984,
 
     Having heard the statement of the representative of the administering
Power relating to Guam,
 
     Noting with appreciation the continued active participation of the
administering Power in the work of the Special Committee in regard to Guam,
thereby enabling it to conduct a more informed and meaningful examination of
the situation in the Territory with a view to accelerating the process of
decolonization towards the full and speedy implementation of the Declaration,
 
     Recalling that a Guam Commission on Self-Determination was appointed in
February 1984 to deal with the status question in a manner acceptable to the
people of the Territory,
 
     Taking note of the statement by the representative of the administering
Power that the Department of Defense had authorized the release of some
2,000 hectares of land previously under its control,
 
     Noting the great potential offered for diversifying and developing the
economy of the Territory, for example, commercial fishing and agriculture,
 
     Taking note of the steps taken by the territorial Government, with the
support of the administering Power, to develop and promote the language and
culture of the Chamorro people, who are the indigenous people of the
Territory,
 
     Aware of the special circumstances of the geographical location and
economic conditions of the Territory, and bearing in mind the necessity of
diversifying and strengthening further its economy as a matter of priority in
order to promote economic stability,
 
     Recalling the dispatch in 1979 of a United Nations visiting mission to
to the Territory,
 
     Mindful that United Nations visiting missions provide an effective
means of ascertaining the situation in the small Territories and
expressing its satisfaction at the willingness of the administering
Power to receive visiting missions in the Territories under its
administration,
 
1. Approves 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
Guam;
 
2. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Guam to
self-determination and independence in conformity with the Declaration
on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,
contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);
 
3. Reaffirms its conviction that such factors as territorial size
geographical location, size of population and limited natural resources
should in no way delay the implementation of the Declaration, which
fully applies to Guam
 
4. Reaffirms the importance of fostering an awareness among the people
of Guam of the possibilities open to them with regard to their right
to self-determination and calls upon the administering Power, in
co-operation with the territorial Government, to expedite the
process of decolonization strictly in accordance with the expressed
wishes of the people of the Territory;
 
5. Takes note of the statement by the representative of the
administering Power that the Guam Commission on Self-Determination,
which was appointed in February 1984 to deal with the status
question in a manner acceptable to the people of the Territory for
submission to the Congress of the United States of America for
approval, hopes to hold a local referendum before the end of 1985;
 
6. Takes note of the statement by the representative of the United
States affirming that his Government respects the wish of the
Guamanians to control their own destiny both politically and
economically;
 
7.  Reaffirms its strong conviction that the presence of military bases
and installations in the Territory could constitute a major
obstacle to the implementation of the Declaration and that it is the
responsibility of the administering Power to ensure that the
existence of such bases and installations does not hinder the population
of the Territory from exercising its right to self-determination and
independence in conformity with the purposes and principles of the
Charter of the United Nations;
 
8.  Urges the administering Power to continue to take all necessary
measures not to involve the Territory in any offensive acts or
interference against any other States and to comply fully with the
purposes and principles of the Charter, the Declaration and the
resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly relating to military
activities and arrangements by colonial Powers in Territories under
their administration;
 
9.  Reaffirms the responsibility of the administering Power, under the
Charter, for the economic and social developments of Guam and, in this
connection, calls upon the administering Power to take all necessary
steps to strengthen and diversify the economy of the Territory, with a
view to reducing the Territory's economic dependence on the administering
Power;
 
10.  Reiterates that one obstacle to economic development, particularly
in the agricultural sector, stems from the fact that large tracts of
land are held by the federal authorities and calls upon the
administering Power, in co-operation with the local authorities, to
continue the transfer of land to the people of the Territory;
 
11. Notes that a settlement was reached in 1984 between representatives
of former Guamanian landowners and the administering Power under which
the former will receive $39.5 million in compensation for land taken
over by the United States Government from 1944 to 1963, it being the
right of individual claimants not to participate in this settlement and
continue to press their own claims;
 
12. Reiterates its call upon the administering Power to support
measures by the territorial Government aimed at removing constraints to
growth in the areas of agriculture and commercial fishing and to ensure
their development to the fullest extent;
 
13. Urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial
Government, to continue to take effective measures to safeguard and
guarantee the right of the people of Guam to their natural resources
and to establish and maintain control over their future development and
requests the administering Power to take all necessary steps to protect
the property rights of the people of the Territory;
 
14. Reaffirms the importance of further efforts by the territorial
Government, with the support of the administering Power to develop and
promote the language and culture of the Chamorro people, who are the
indigenous population of the Territory;
 
13. Considers that the possibility of sending a further visiting
mission to Guam at an appropriate time should be kept under review;
 
14.  Requests the Special Committee to continue the examination of
this question at its next session, including the possible
dispatch of a further visiting mission to Guam at an appropriate time
and in consultation with the administering Power, and to
report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-first session.