General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

31 October 1986

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                       A/RES/41/26
                                                       31 October 1986
                                                       52nd plenary meeting
 
                         Question of Tokelau
 
     The General Assembly,
 
     Having considered the question of Tokelau,
 
     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,
 
     Having examined the report of the United Nations Visiting Mission
dispatched to Tokelau in July 1986 at the invitation of the Government of New
Zealand and of the General Fono (Council) of Tokelau,
 
     Having heard the statement of the Chairman of the Visiting Mission,
 
     Having heard the statement of the representative of New Zealand, the
administering Power,
 
     Noting with satisfaction the continuing exemplary co-operation of the
administering Power with regard to the work of the Special Committee relating
to Tokelau and its readiness to permit access by United Nations visiting
missions thereto,
 
     Aware of the special problems facing Tokelau by virtue of its isolation,
small size, limited resources and lack of infrastructure,
 
     Reiterating the view 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 Tokelau,
 
     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 Tokelau;
 
     2.   Approves the report of the United Nations Visiting Mission to
Tokelau in 1986, and endorses the observations, conclusions and
recommendations contained therein;
 
     3.   Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Tokelau to
self-determination and independence in accordance with the Declaration on the
Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in
General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);
 
     4.   Expresses its deep appreciation to the elders, people and public
service of Tokelau and to the administering Power for the courtesies,
co-operation and assistance extended to the Visiting Mission;
 
     5.   Notes that the people of Tokelau with whom the Visiting Mission
consulted expressed their desire to maintain at this stage their present
status and relationship with the administering Power;
 
     6.   Notes the continuing development of the General Fono (Council) of
Tokelau as the Territory's highest political body, and considers that the
process of devolution of authority to Tokelau's political and administrative
institutions should continue;
 
     7.   Urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the Tokelau
public service, to expand and intensify its programme of political education
in the Territory so as to improve the awareness of the people of the Territory
of the options available to them in the exercise of their right to
self-determination and independence, in accordance with the Charter of the
United Nations and the Declaration;
 
     8.   Commends the people of Tokelau for their determination to manage
their economic and political development in such a way as to ensure that it
does not compromise or undermine Tokelau's distinct and valued cultural
heritage, and urges the administering Power and international agencies to
respect fully the wishes of the people of Tokelau in this regard;
 
     9.   Welcomes the assurance of the administering Power that legislation
affecting Tokelau will only be passed after consultation with the General Fono
(Council) of Tokelau, and commends the Fono for the role it is playing in the
development of a new legal code to give due recognition to Tokelauan customs
and culture;
 
     10.  Welcomes also the efforts being made to develop an education system
specifically geared to the needs of Tokelau and urges that these efforts be
intensified;
 
     11.  Requests the administering Power, taking into account the Visiting
Mission's observations, conclusions and recommendations, 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 the Territory;
 
     12.  Welcomes the participation of Tokelau in South Pacific regional
organizations and institutions and requests the administering Power to
facilitate the participation of the Territory as an associate member of
various organizations of the United Nations system, as well as other regional
and international bodies;
 
     13.  Expresses the view that measures to promote the economic and social
development of Tokelau are an essential element in the process of
self-determination and, in that connection, calls upon the administering
Power, in close co-operation with the General Fono (Council), to continue to
intensify and diversify its programmes of development assistance to Tokelau;
 
     14.  Notes the assistance extended to Tokelau by the United Nations
Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health
Organization and other regional and international institutions and urges them
to continue to increase such assistance to the Territory in close consultation
with the Tokelau Administration;
 
     15.  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 Tokelau at an appropriate time and in consultation with
the administering Power, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its
forty-second session.