General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

31 October 1986

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                       A/RES/41/17
                                                       31 October 1986
                                                       52nd 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 40/48 of 2 December 1985,
 
     Conscious of the need to ensure the full and speedy implementation of the
Declaration in respect of the Territory,
 
     Noting the appointment of a Constitution Review Committee in
October 1985, and the statement by the Governor of the Territory, in which he
reiterated that the administering Power would only consider substantial
changes to the Constitution as part of a process to move towards independence
within eighteen months to two years,
 
     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,
 
     Reaffirming the responsibility of the administering Power to promote the
economic and social development of the Territory,
 
     Noting that the economy of Anguilla continued to grow during the period
under review, particularly the tourist industry, and that the Government
accorded the highest priority to the development of the Territory's economic
and social infrastructure and was reviewing options for the diversification of
its economy in such sectors as fisheries, agriculture and small-scale
manufacturing,
 
     Noting with satisfaction the increase in funds administered by the United
Nations Development Programme and in funds from other sources,
 
     Noting the participation of Anguilla for the first time, in June 1985, in
the Caribbean Group for Co-operation in Economic Development,
 
     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 considering that
the possibility of sending a further visiting mission to Anguilla at an
appropriate time should be kept under review,
 
     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 United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as 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 resolution 1514 (XV) and all other relevant resolutions of the
General Assembly;
 
     5.   Reaffirms that it is ultimately for the people of Anguilla
themselves to determine freely 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, in co-operation with the
Government of Anguilla, to continue to strengthen the economy of the Territory
and to increase its assistance to programmes of diversification;
 
     7.   Urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial
Government, to continue the assistance necessary for the increased employment
of the local population in the civil service, as well as in managerial,
technical and other sectors of the economy;
 
     8.   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,
in particular the United Nations Development Programme, and other regional and
international bodies, in the development and strengthening of the economy of
Anguilla;
 
     9.   Urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial
Government, to take effective measures 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;
 
     10.  Recalls the recommendation of the Visiting Mission that the
administering Power should continue to make every effort to facilitate and
encourage the participation of representatives of the Territory in regional
and international organizations, including the Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean, in order to enable them to examine political,
economic and social developments in other Territories and countries similar to
their own;
 
     11.  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-second session.