Question of the Turks and Caicos Islands : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

The General Assembly,

Having considered the question of the Turks and Caicos Islands,

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 the Turks and Caicos Islands, including in particular General Assembly resolution 44/93 of 11 December 1989,

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 Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as the administering Power,

Bearing in mind the stated policy of the Government of the United Kingdom, the administering Power, that it remains ready to respond positively to the express wish of the people of the Territory on the question of independence,

Recalling that the efforts of the administering Power to resolve the 1986 constitutional crisis in the Territory resulted in the drafting of a new Constitution by the administering Power and the subsequent holding of general elections in March 1988,

Noting the entry into force of the new Constitution under the Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 1988,

Aware of the special circumstances of the geographical location and economic conditions of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and bearing in mind the necessity of diversifying and strengthening further its economy as a matter of priority in order to promote economic stability and develop a wider economic base for the Territory,

Noting the announcement by the United Kingdom that, as from 1 January 1990, the territorial waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands would be expanded from three to twelve miles,

Welcoming the adoption by the territorial Government of a national development plan aimed at expanding the infrastructure of the Territory and strengthening several key sectors, including tourism, fisheries, water resources management and human resources development, and noting the appointment by the territorial Government of a new Tourist Board that is fully representative of all sectors of the industry and aimed at ensuring that Turks and Caicos Islanders have an equal opportunity to join the mainstream of development and employment in tourism,

Noting the establishment, under the 1988 Constitution, of a Public Service Commission to advise the Governor on civil service matters and of a Public Service Training Board under the Commission to advise on, and assist in, the supervision of policies and programmes for the training of public officers at all levels,

Noting with concern the vulnerability of the Territory to drug trafficking and related activities,

Noting the continuing contribution of the United Nations Development Programme, as well as regional institutions such as the Caribbean Development Bank, to the economic and social development of the Territory,

Recalling the dispatch in 1980 of two 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 the Turks and Caicos Islands 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 the Turks and Caicos Islands;

2.         Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands to self-determination and independence in conformity 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 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 the Turks and Caicos Islands;

4.         Reiterates that it is the obligation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as the administering Power, to create such conditions in the Territory as will enable the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands 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 the Turks and Caicos Islands 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 that it is the responsibility of the administering Power under the Charter to develop its dependent Territories economically and socially, and urges the administering Power, in consultation with the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands, to take the necessary measures to promote the economic and social development of the Territory;

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 the Turks and Caicos Islands 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.         Also urges the administering Power, in consultation with the territorial Government, to continue to provide the necessary assistance for the localization of the civil service at all levels and for the training of local personnel;

9.         Calls upon the administering Power to continue to take all necessary measures, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to counter problems related to drug trafficking;

10.       Invites the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system to continue to take all necessary measures to accelerate progress in the social and economic life of the Territory;

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 the Turks and Caicos Islands at an appropriate time and in consultation with the administering Power, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session.