General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

31 October 1986

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                       A/RES/41/25
                                                       31 October 1986
                                                       52nd 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 40/42 of 2 December 1985,
 
     Conscious of the need to ensure the full and speedy implementation of the
Declaration in respect of the Territory,
 
     Having heard the statement of the representative of the United States of
America, as the administering Power, relating to Guam,
 
     Noting the statement by the representative of the administering Power
that the Guam Commission on Self-Determination, which was appointed in
February 1984, has completed its work on the draft text of a Commonwealth Act,
 
     Taking note of the statement by the representative of the administering
Power that the Department of Defense had authorized the release of nearly
2,000 hectares of land previously under its control and that it was expected
that legislation to release that land would be enacted later in 1986,
 
     Noting the potential offered for diversifying and developing the economy
of the Territory, for example, in the areas of commercial fishing and
agriculture, and the statement of the representative of the administering
Power that the draft Commonwealth Act seeks to promote economic development by
establishing a free trade zone between Guam and the United States of America,
 
     Taking note of the statement of the representative of the administering
Power that provisions of the proposed Commonwealth Act would recognize the
distinct cultural identity of the Chamorro people, the indigenous inhabitants
of Guam, 
 
     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
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 Guam at an
appropriate time should be kept under review, particularly in the light of the
plebiscite planned for 1987, referred to in paragraph 5 below,
 
     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.   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 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 United States of America, as 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 should the Guamanian voters approve it in a
plebiscite planned for 1987, the draft text of a Commonwealth Act proposed by
the Guam Commission on Self-Determination will be submitted to the United
States Congress for consideration;
 
     6.   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;
 
     7.   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;
 
     8.   Reaffirms the responsibility of the administering Power, under the
Charter, to promote the economic and social development of Guam and, in that
connection, calls upon the administering Power to take further steps to
strengthen and diversify the economy of the Territory, with a view to reducing
its economic dependence on the administering Power;
 
     9.   Reiterates that one obstacle to economic growth, and particularly to
agricultural development, stems from the fact that large tracts of land are
held by the United States federal authorities, and calls upon the
administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to
expedite the transfer of land to the people of the Territory;
 
     10.  Calls 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 the development of those
areas to the fullest extent;
 
     11.  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 the natural resources of the Territory,
including marine resources within its exclusive economic zone, and to
establish and maintain control over the future development of those resources
and requests the administering Power to take the necessary steps to protect
the property rights of the people of the Territory;
 
     12.  Reaffirms the importance of continued efforts by the territorial
Government, with the support of the administering Power, towards promoting the
Chamorro language and culture;
 
     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 Guam at an appropriate time and in consultation with the
administering Power, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its
forty-second session.