General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

4 December 1987

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                       A/RES/42/84
                                                       92nd plenary meeting
                                                       4 December 1987
                           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,
 and all other resolutions and decisions of the United Nations relating to
 Tokelau, in particular General Assembly resolution 41/26 of 31 October 1986,
 
     Having heard the statement of the representative of New Zealand, the
 administering Power,
 
     Welcoming the participation of the Chairman of the General Fono (Council)
 of Tokelau in the work of the Special Committee relating to the Territory,
 
     Noting the continuing development of the General Fono as the highest
 political body of Tokelau and taking note of the view of the General Fono that
 such development of the indigenous political institutions of the Territory
 must proceed in full recognition of the distinct and valued cultural heritage
 and traditions of Tokelau and that further economic development is a
 prerequisite for continued devolution of political authority in Tokelau,
 
     Noting with satisfaction the continued progress being made towards the
 drafting of a legal code to conform with the traditional laws and cultural
 values of Tokelau,
 
     Expressing its sympathy to the people of Tokelau for the losses incurred
 in natural disasters in 1987,
 
     Taking note of the decision of the General Fono to include Tokelau in the
 Multilateral Fisheries Treaty between the United States of America and States
 members of the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency,
 
     Welcoming the appointment of a Tokelauan as head of the Tokelau Public
 Service,
 
     Taking note of the strong opposition in Tokelau to nuclear testing in the
 Pacific area as it constitutes a grave threat to the natural resources of the
 Territory and its social and economic development,
 
     Noting with satisfaction the assistance extended to Tokelau by the United
 Nations Development Programme and other regional and international
 institutions,
 
     Recalling the dispatch in 1976, 1981 and 1986 of United Nations visiting
 missions 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 Tokelau 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 Tokelau;
 
     2.  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;
 
     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 implementation of the Declaration, which fully applies to
 Tokelau;
 
     4.  Welcomes the statement of the Chairman of the General Fono (Council)
 of Tokelau that Tokelau wishes to see the devolution of authority to the
 General Fono consolidated and continued;
 
     5.  Notes that the people of the Territory are determined to manage their
 economic and political development in such a way as to ensure the preservation
 of the social, cultural and traditional heritage of Tokelau, and urges the
 administering Power and the specialized agencies and other organizations of
 the United Nations system to respect fully the wishes of the people of Tokelau
 in this regard;
 
     6.  Urges Member States, relevant specialized agencies and other
 organizations of the United Nations system to extend to Tokelau the maximum
 assistance possible to help in its rehabilitation and reconstruction in order
 to overcome the losses incurred in natural disasters in 1987;
 
     7.  Urges the Government of New Zealand, the administering Power, in
 co-operation with the General Fono, to ensure that the traditional fishing
 grounds of the people of Tokelau are protected in accordance with the
 Multilateral Fisheries Treaty between the United States of America and States
 members of the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency;
 
     8.  Calls upon the administering Power, in co-operation with the General
 Fono, to continue and expand its development assistance to Tokelau;
 
     9.  Urges the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United
 Nations system, as well as the regional institutions concerned, to continue to
 take all necessary measures, in close consultation with the Office for Tokelau
 Affairs, and taking due account of the decisions of the General Fono on the
 allocation of resources and development priorities, to accelerate progress in
 the social and the economic life of the Territory;
 
     10. 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-third session.