23 November 1982

Question of Guam

The General Assembly,

Having considered the question of Guam,

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 Guam,

Having heard the statement of the administering Power,

Noting with appreciation the continued active participation of the administering Power in the work of the Special Committee in regard to Guam, thereby enabling it to conduct a more informed and meaningful examination of the situation in the Territory, with a view to accelerating the process of decolonization for the purpose of the full implementation of the Declaration,

Noting that a referendum on political status was held in the Territory on 30 January 1982,

Recalling all relevant resolutions of the United Nations relating to military bases and installations in colonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories,

Bearing in mind that an obstacle to the economic development of the Territory has been the uncertainty concerning land held by the federal authorities,

Aware of the special circumstances of the geographical location and economic conditions of Guam and the necessity of diversifying the economy of the Territory as a matter of priority and noting the great potential for diversification offered by commercial fishing, agriculture and the development of the transportation industry,

Mindful that United Nations visiting missions provide an effective means of ascertaining the situation in the small Territories and expressing its satisfaction at the willingness of the administering Power to receive visiting missions in the Territories under its administration,

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 Guam;

2. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Guam to

self-determination and independence in conformity with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);

3. Reaffirms its conviction 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 contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), which fully applies to Guam;

4. Recalls that the United States of America, as the administering Power, has the responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations to ensure that the people of the Territory are kept fully informed of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);

5. Reiterates that it is the responsibility of the administering Power to create such conditions in the Territory as will enable the people of Guam to exercise freely and without interference their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV);

6. Reaffirms its strong conviction that the administering Power must ensure that military bases and installations do not hinder the population of the Territory from exercising its right to self-determination and independence in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter and urges the administering Power to take all necessary measures to comply fully with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations relating to military bases and installations in colonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories;

7. Reaffirms the responsibility of the administering Power, under the Charter, for the economic and social development of Guam and calls upon the administering Power to take all necessary steps to strengthen and diversify the economy of the Territory;

8. Calls upon the administering Power, in co-operation with the local authorities, to accelerate the transfer of land to the people of the Territory;

9. Reiterates its call upon the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to remove the constraints which limit growth in the economic development of the Territory, particularly with regard to commercial fishing, agriculture and the transportation industry;

10. Urges the administering Power, in co-operation with the territorial Government, to continue to take effective measures to safeguard and guarantee the right of the people of Guam to their natural resources and to establish and maintain control over their future development and requests the administering Power to take all necessary steps to protect the property rights of the people of the Territory;

11. Urges the administering Power to strengthen its efforts to develop and promote the language and culture of the Chamorro people, who comprise more than half of the population of the Territory;

12. Considers that the possibility of sending a further visiting mission to Guam at an appropriate time should be kept under review;

13. Requests the Special Committee to continue the consideration of this question at its next session, including the possible dispatch of a further visiting mission to Guam at an appropriate time and in consultation with the administering Power, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth session.