Question of Tokelau : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

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 resolutions and decisions of the United Nations relating to Tokelau, in particular General Assembly resolution 44/90 of 11 December 1989,

Having heard the statement of the representative of New Zealand, the administering Power,

Noting the continuing devolution of power to the local authority, the General Fono (Council), and mindful that the cultural heritage and traditions of the people of Tokelau should be taken fully into account in the evolution of Tokelau's political institutions,

Welcoming the information that Tokelau's wish to pursue avenues that give greater political autonomy to its leadership remains keen, while it wishes to maintain its current relationship with the administering Power,

Welcoming also the continued progress towards the drafting of a legal code that is in conformity with the traditional laws and cultural values of Tokelau,

Noting with satisfaction the creation within the New Zealand Ministry of External Relations and Trade of a Tokelau Unit, and expressing its hope that this will further facilitate and enhance the relations between the Territory and the administering Power,

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,

Noting the inspection of the Tokelau Public Service and its staff at Apia undertaken by the New Zealand State Services Commission in early 1989, and expressing the hope that the completion of this inspection will contribute to the development of the Public Service of the Territory,

Reaffirming the responsibility of the administering Power to promote the economic and social development of the Territory, and noting the measures being taken by the Government of New Zealand in that regard,

Noting with appreciation the continued contribution of the United Nations Development Programme to the development of the Territory,

Also noting with appreciation the relief assistance extended to Tokelau by the administering Power, other Member States and international organizations, in particular the United Nations Development Programme and the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, following the natural disasters caused by cyclone Ofa in February 1990,

Recalling 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, and urging the administering Power to ensure that the fishing grounds of the Territory are protected,

Noting the strong opposition expressed by the people of Tokelau to nuclear testing in the Pacific region and their concern that those tests constitute a grave threat to the natural resources of the Territory and its social and economic development,

Noting the other major environmental concerns expressed by the people of Tokelau, including the impact that a sea-level rise resulting from global climate change would have on the low-lying atolls of Tokelau, the dumping of toxic waste in the region and the practice of driftnet fishing,

Welcoming the assistance extended to Tokelau by the United Nations Development Programme, and taking note of the consideration being given to the installation of a new satellite system in the Territory with a view to assisting the free flow of information, as well as the education process in the Territory,

Noting that the administering Power is investigating ways of improving the shipping services to Tokelau to ensure better communication with the outside world, and that efforts are being made towards the early establishment of an inter-atoll service,

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 assessing the situation in the Non-Self-Governing 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 section 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.         Reiterates that it is the responsibility of New Zealand, as the administering Power, to create such conditions in the Territory as will enable the people of Tokelau to exercise freely and without interference 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 Tokelau 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.         Also reaffirms the responsibility of the administering Power to promote the economic and social development of the Territory, and recommends that priority should continue to be given to the diversification of the Territory's economy in order to provide the foundations for sound social and economic development;

7.         Urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to take effective measures to safeguard and guarantee the inalienable right of the people of Tokelau to own and dispose of the natural resources of the Territory, including marine resources, and to establish and maintain control over the future development of those resources;

8.         Urges the Government of New Zealand, the administering Power, to continue to respect fully the wishes of the people of Tokelau in carrying out the Territory's political and economic development, in order to preserve their social, cultural and traditional heritage;

9.         Calls upon the administering Power, in consultation with the General Fono (Council), to continue to expand its development assistance to Tokelau in order to promote the economic and social development of the Territory;

10.       Invites the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, as well as other international and regional institutions, to extend or continue to extend all possible assistance to Tokelau, in consultation with the administering Power and the people of Tokelau;

11.       Invites all governmental and non-governmental organizations, financial institutions, Member States and organizations of the United Nations system to grant Tokelau special emergency economic assistance to mitigate the effects of cyclone Ofa and to enable the Territory to meet its medium- and long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation requirements;

12.       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-sixth session.