Question of American Samoa : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

The General Assembly,

Having considered the question of American Samoa,

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 American Samoa, in particular General Assembly resolution 43/43 of 22 November 1988,

Conscious of the need to promote progress towards the full implementation of the Declaration in respect of American Samoa,

Having heard the statement of the representative of the United States of America, as 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 that the current Chief Justice of the Territory is the first indigenous American Samoan appointed to that position,

Recalling the dispatch in 1981 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 reaffirming the value of sending, at an appropriate time, a further visiting mission to American Samoa,

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 American Samoa;

2.         Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of American Samoa 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 American Samoa;

4.         Calls upon the Government of the United States of America, as the administering Power, to take all necessary steps, bearing in mind the rights, interests and wishes of the people of American Samoa as expressed freely in any act of self-determination, to expedite the process of decolonization of the Territory in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Declaration and reaffirms the importance of fostering an awareness among the people of American Samoa of the possibilities open to them in the exercise of their right to self-determination and independence;

5.         Reaffirms the responsibility of the administering Power, under the Charter, to promote the economic and social development of American Samoa and calls upon the administering Power to intensify its efforts to strengthen and diversify the economy of the Territory;

6.         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 American Samoa 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;

7.         Reiterates its appeal to the administering Power to consider favourably the expressed request of the people of the Territory to appoint the Chief Justice and other members of the Territory's judiciary themselves;

8.         Also urges the administering Power to continue to foster close relations between the Territory and other island communities in the region and promote co-operation between the territorial Government and regional institutions, as well as the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system;

9.         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 American Samoa at an appropriate time and in consultation with the administering Power, taking into account, in particular, the wishes of the people of the Territory, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-fifth session.