25 November 1981

Question of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands

The General Assembly,

Having considered the question of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, the Cayman Islands and 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 other resolutions and decisions of the United Nations relating to the Territories listed above,

Taking into account the statement of the administering Power relating to the Territories listed above,

Noting that the administering Power has expressed its willingness to respect the wishes of the peoples of the Territories under its administration regarding their future constitutional status and reiterating that it is the obligation of the administering Power to create such conditions in the Territories as will enable the peoples of those Territories to exercise freely and without interference their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) as well as other relevant resolutions of the Assembly, Conscious of the need to ensure the full and speedy implementation of the Declaration in respect of the Territories concerned,

Bearing in mind that United Nations visiting missions provide an effective means of ascertaining the situation in the Territories, acquiring adequate first-hand information on the situation prevailing in the Territories and ascertaining the views of the peoples concerning their future political status,

Aware of the special circumstances of the geographical location and economic conditions of the Territories concerned and bearing in mind the necessity of diversifying and strengthening further their economies as a matter of priority in order to promote economic stability,

1. Approves the 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 relating to Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands;

2. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the peoples of those Territories to self-determination and independence in accordance with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;

3. Reaffirms its conviction that questions of territorial size, geographical location, size of population and limited natural resources should in no way delay the speedy implementation of the Declaration with respect to the Territories concerned;

4. Calls upon the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as the administering Power, to continue to take all the necessary steps, in consultation with the freely elected representatives of the peoples of the Territories concerned, to ensure the full and speedy attainment of the goals set forth in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Declaration in respect of the Territories;

5. Recognizes that the presence of military bases and other installations could constitute an impediment to the implementation of the Declaration and reaffirms its conviction that the presence of foreign military bases and installations in Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands should not prevent the peoples of those Territories from exercising their right to self-determination and independence in accordance with the Declaration and the purposes and principles of the Charter;

6. Calls upon the administering Power to take all possible steps, in consultation with the freely elected representatives of the peoples of the Territories concerned, to diversify and strengthen further the economies of those Territories and to work out concrete programmes of assistance and economic development;

7. Further calls upon the administering Power, in co-operation with the freely elected representatives of the peoples of the Territories concerned, to safeguard the inalienable right of the peoples of those Territories to the enjoyment of their natural resources by taking effective measures which ensure the right of the peoples to own and dispose of those resources and to establish and maintain control over their future development;

8. Requests the administering Power to continue to invite the assistance of the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system in accelerating progress in all sectors of the social and economic life of the Territories concerned;

9. Welcomes the positive attitude of the administering Power with regard to the receiving of United Nations visiting missions in the Territories under its administration and requests the Chairman of the Special Committee to continue his consultations with a view to dispatching such missions, as appropriate;

10. Requests the Special Committee to continue the examination of this question at its next session, including the possible dispatch of visiting missions in consultation with the administering Power, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session.