Activities of foreign economic and other interests which are impeding the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Namibia and in all other Territories under colonial domination and efforts to eliminate colonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination in southern Africa : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

The General Assembly,

Having considered the item entitled "Activities of foreign economic and other interests which are impeding the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Namibia and in all other Territories under colonial domination and efforts to eliminate colonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination in southern Africa",

Having examined 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 the item,

Recalling its resolutions 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, 2621 (XXV) of 12 October 1970, containing the programme of action for the full implementation of the Declaration, 35/118 of 11 December 1980, the annex to which contains the Plan of Action for the Full Implementation of the Declaration, and 40/56 of 2 December 1985 on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration, as well as all other resolutions of the United Nations relating to the item,

Reaffirming the solemn obligation of the administering Powers under the Charter of the United Nations to promote the political, economic, social and educational advancement of the inhabitants of the Territories under their administration and to protect the human and natural resources of those Territories against abuses,

Reaffirming also that any economic or other activity that impedes the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and obstructs efforts aimed at the elimination of colonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination in southern Africa and other colonial Territories is in direct violation of the rights of the inhabitants and of the principles of the Charter and all relevant resolutions of the United Nations,

Reaffirming further that the natural resources of all Territories under colonial and racist domination are the heritage of the peoples of those Territories and that the depletive exploitation of those resources by foreign economic interests constitutes a direct violation of the rights of the peoples and of the principles of the Charter and all relevant resolutions of the United Nations,

Bearing in mind the relevant provisions of the final documents of the successive Conferences of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries and of the resolutions adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity,

Condemning the intensified activities of those foreign economic, financial and other interests that continue to exploit the natural and human resources of the colonial Territories and to accumulate and repatriate huge profits to the detriment of the interests of the inhabitants, thereby impeding the realization by the peoples of the Territories of their legitimate aspirations for self-determination and independence,

Strongly condemning the investment of foreign capital in the production of uranium and the collaboration by certain Western and other countries with the racist minority regime of South Africa in the nuclear field which, by providing that regime with nuclear equipment and technology, enable it to develop nuclear and military capabilities and to become a nuclear Power, thereby strengthening its abhorrent system of apartheid,

Concerned about any foreign economic, financial and other activities which continue to deprive the indigenous populations of colonial Territories, including certain Territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean regions, of their rights over the wealth of their countries, and concerned that the inhabitants of those Territories continue to suffer from a loss of land ownership as a result of the failure of the administering Powers concerned to restrict the sale of land to foreigners, despite the repeated appeals of the General Assembly,

Conscious of the continuing need to mobilize world public opinion against the involvement of foreign economic, financial and other interests in the exploitation of natural and human resources, which impedes the independence of colonial Territories and the elimination of racism, particularly in South Africa, and emphasizing the importance of action by local authorities, trade unions, religious bodies, academic institutions, mass media, solidarity movements and other non-governmental organizations, as well as individuals, in applying pressure on transnational corporations to refrain from any investment or activity in South Africa, in encouraging a policy of systematic divestment of any financial or other interest in corporations doing business with South Africa and in counteracting all forms of collaboration with the apartheid regime,

1.         Reaffirms the inalienable right of the peoples of dependent Territories to self-determination and independence and to the enjoyment of the natural resources of their Territories, as well as their right to dispose of those resources in their best interests;

2.         Reiterates that any administering or occupying Power that deprives the colonial peoples of the exercise of their legitimate rights over their natural resources or subordinates the rights and interests of those peoples to foreign economic and financial interests violates the solemn obligations it has assumed under the Charter of the United Nations;

3.         Reaffirms that, by their depletive exploitation of natural resources, the continued accumulation and repatriation of huge profits and the use of those profits for the enrichment of foreign settlers and the perpetuation of colonial domination and racial discrimination in the Territories, the activities of foreign economic, financial and other interests operating at present in the colonial Territories constitute a major obstacle to political independence and racial equality, as well as to the enjoyment of the natural resources of those Territories by the indigenous inhabitants;

4.         Condemns those activities of foreign economic and other interests in the colonial Territories that are impeding the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the efforts to eliminate colonialism, apartheid and racial discrimination;

5.         Strongly condemns the collaboration of the Governments of certain Western Powers, Israel and other countries with the racist minority regime of South Africa in the nuclear field and calls upon those and all other Governments concerned to refrain from supplying that regime, directly or indirectly, with installations, equipment or material that might enable it to produce uranium, plutonium and other nuclear materials, reactors or military equipment;

6.         Strongly condemns the collaboration with the racist minority regime of South Africa of the Governments of certain Western and other countries as well as transnational corporations that continue to make new investments in South Africa and supply the regime with armaments, nuclear technology and all other materials that are likely to buttress it and thus aggravate the threat to world peace;

7.         Calls upon all States, in particular certain Western and other States, to take urgent, effective measures to terminate all collaboration with the racist regime of South Africa in the political, economic, trade, military and nuclear fields and to refrain from entering into other relations with that regime in violation of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and of the Organization of African Unity;

8.         Calls once again upon all Governments that have not yet done so to take, in accordance with the relevant provisions of its resolutions 2621 (XXV) of 12 October 1970 and 43/29 of 22 November 1988, legislative, administrative or other measures in respect of their nationals and the bodies corporate under their jurisdiction that own and operate enterprises in colonial Territories that are detrimental to the interests of the inhabitants of those Territories, in order to put an end to such enterprises and to prevent new investments that run counter to the interests of the inhabitants of those Territories;

9.         Calls upon those oil-producing and oil-exporting countries that have not yet done so to take effective measures against the oil companies concerned so as to terminate the supply of crude oil and petroleum products to the racist regime of South Africa;

10.       Reiterates that the exploitation and plundering of the marine and other natural resources of colonial Territories by foreign economic interests, including the activities of those transnational corporations that are engaged in the exploitation and export of the natural resources of the Territories, in violation of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council, are illegal and are a grave threat to the integrity and prosperity of those Territories;

11.       Reiterates its request to all States, pending the imposition of comprehensive mandatory sanctions against South Africa, to take legislative, administrative and other measures, individually or collectively, as appropriate, in order effectively to isolate South Africa politically, economically, militarily and culturally, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, and encourages those Governments that have recently taken certain unilateral sanction measures against the South African regime to take further measures;

12.       Invites all Governments and organizations of the United Nations system, having regard to the relevant provisions of the Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, contained in General Assembly resolution 3201 (S-VI) of 1 May 1974, and of the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States, contained in Assembly resolution 3281 (XXIX) of 12 December 1974, to ensure, in particular, that the permanent sovereignty of the colonial Territories over their natural resources is fully respected and safeguarded;

13.       Urges the administering Powers concerned to take effective measures to safeguard and guarantee the inalienable right of the peoples of the colonial Territories to their natural resources, as well as their right to establish and maintain control over the future development of those natural resources, and requests the administering Powers to take all necessary steps to protect the property rights of the peoples of those Territories;

14.       Calls upon the administering Powers concerned to abolish all discriminatory and unjust wage systems and working conditions prevailing in the Territories under their administration and to apply in each Territory a uniform system of wages to all the inhabitants without any discrimination;

15.       Requests the Secretary-General to undertake, through the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, a sustained and broad campaign with a view to informing world public opinion of the facts concerning the pillaging of natural resources in colonial Territories and the exploitation of their indigenous populations by foreign economic interests;

16.       Appeals to mass media, trade unions and non-governmental organizations, as well as individuals, to co-ordinate and intensify their efforts to mobilize international public opinion against the policy of the apartheid regime of South Africa and to work for the enforcement of economic and other sanctions against that regime and for encouraging a policy of systematic and genuine divestment from corporations doing business in South Africa;

17.       Decides to continue to monitor closely the situation in the remaining colonial Territories so as to ensure that all economic activities in those Territories are aimed at strengthening and diversifying their economies in the interests of the indigenous peoples, at promoting the economic and financial viability of those Territories and at speeding their accession to independence and, in that connection, requests the administering Powers concerned to ensure that the peoples of the Territories under their administration are not exploited for political, military and other purposes detrimental to their interests;

18.       Requests the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to continue to examine this question and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-fifth session.