General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

2 December 1985

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                       A/RES/40/48
                                                       2 December 1985
                                                       99th plenary meeting
                             Question of Anguilla
 
     The General Assembly,
 
     Having considered the question of Anguilla,
 
     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
Anguilla, including in particular its resolution 39/39 of 5 December 1984,
 
     Noting the stated position of the administering Power that it will
respect the wishes of the people of Anguilla in determining the future
political status of the Territory,
 
     Conscious of the need to ensure the full and speedy implementation of the
Declaration in respect of the Territory,
 
     Noting with appreciation the continued participation of the administering
Power in the work of the Special Committee in regard to Anguilla, 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 for the purpose of the full implementation of the Declaration,
 
     Reaffirming the responsibility of the administering Power to promote the
economic and social development of the Territory,
 
     Taking note that during the period under review the economy of Anguilla
remained buoyant,
 
     Noting that, as a result of a comprehensive review of the civil service
and police force undertaken during 1984, salaries and allowances were
increased,
 
     Welcoming the contribution to the development of the Territory by the
United Nations Development Programme, specialized agencies and other
organizations of the United Nations system operating in Anguilla, and noting
the separate illustrative indicative planning figure established for Anguilla
by the United Nations Development Programme for the period 1982-1986,
 
     Reiterating the view that the participation of Territories as associate
members in organizations of the United Nations system is a part of the overall
strategy of accelerating the decolonization process,
 
     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 1984 of a United Nations visiting mission 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 Anguilla;
 
     2.   Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Anguilla 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.   Reiterates the view that such factors as territorial size,
geographical location, size of population and limited natural resources should
in no way delay the speedy exercise by the people of the Territory of their
inalienable right to self-determination and independence in conformity with
the Declaration, which fully applies to Anguilla;
 
     4.   Reiterates that it is the responsibility of the administering Power
to create such conditions in Anguilla as will enable its people to exercise
freely and without interference, from a well-informed standpoint as to the
available options, their inalienable right to self-determination and
independence in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), as well
as all other relevant resolutions of the Assembly;
 
     5.   Reaffirms that it is ultimately for the people of Anguilla
themselves to determine their future political status in accordance with the
relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Declaration,
and, in that connection, reaffirms the importance of fostering an awareness
among the people of the Territory of the possibilities open to them in the
exercise of their right to self-determination and independence;
 
     6.   Calls upon the administering Power to continue, in co-operation with
the territorial Government, to strengthen the economy and to increase its
assistance to programmes of diversification;
 
     7.   Notes that, although the Territory was no longer in need of a grant
from the administering Power to balance its recurrent budget for 1984, the
Government of the United Kingdom agreed to provide a special grant to clear
the deficit accumulated between 1977 and 1983;
 
     8.   Urges the administering Power to take effective measures, in
co-operation with the territorial Government, to safeguard, guarantee and
ensure the rights of the people of Anguilla to own and dispose of their
natural resources and to establish and maintain control over their future
development;
 
     9.   Urges the administering Power to continue, in co-operation with the
territorial Government, the assistance necessary for the increased employment
of the local population in the civil service, particularly at senior levels;
 
     10.  Reiterates its request to the administering Power, in the light of
the observations, conclusions and recommendations of the United Nations
visiting mission to Anguilla, 1984, to continue to enlist the assistance of
the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system,
as well as other regional and international bodies, in the development and
strengthening of the economy of Anguilla;
 
     11.  Calls upon the administering Power to continue to facilitate the
participation of Anguilla in the Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean and its subsidiary body, the Caribbean Development and Co-operation
Committee, and in other organizations of the United Nations system, including
the Caribbean Group for Co-operation in Economic Development;
 
     12.  Considers that the possibility of sending a further visiting mission
to Anguilla at an appropriate time should be kept under review;
 
     13.  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 Anguilla at an appropriate time and in consultation with
the administering Power, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its
forty-first session.