Question of United States Virgin Islands

A/RES/75/120No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 61Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, published in 2020.

What other versions does this mandate have?

2 versions · 1980–2020

2020A/RES/75/120Question of United States Virgin IslandsLatestCompare with previous version
1980A/RES/35/24Question of United States Virgin Islands

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 topics

Decolonization Non-Self-Governing Territories Self-Determination of Peoples United States Virgin Islands Question

What does this mandate say?

18 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of the United States Virgin Islands to self-determination, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations and with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;

Also reaffirms that, in the process of decolonization of the United States Virgin Islands, there is no alternative to the principle of self-determination, which is also a fundamental human right, as recognized under the relevant human rights conventions;

Further reaffirms that it is ultimately for the people of the United States Virgin Islands to determine freely their future political status in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter, the Declaration and the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, and in that connection calls upon the administering Power, in cooperation with the territorial Government and appropriate bodies of the United Nations system, to develop political education programmes for the Territory in order to foster an awareness among the people of their right to self-determination in conformity with the legitimate political status options, based on the principles clearly defined in Assembly resolution 1541 (XV) and other relevant resolutions and decisions;

Welcomes the proposal of a draft constitution emanating from the Territory in 2009, as a result of the work of the United States Virgin Islands Fifth Constitutional Convention, for review by the administering Power, and requests the administering Power to assist the territorial Government in achieving its political, economic and social goals, in particular the successful conclusion of the internal Constitutional Convention exercise;

Requests the administering Power to facilitate the process for approval of the proposed constitution and its implementation, once agreed upon in the Territory, and to regularly provide the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples with relevant updates in this regard;

Also requests the administering Power to assist the Territory by facilitating its work concerning public educational outreach efforts, consistent with Article 73 b of the Charter, and in that regard calls upon the relevant United Nations organizations to provide assistance to the Territory, if requested;

Welcomes the establishment of the Office of Self-Determination and Constitutional Development in the University of the Virgin Islands, with funding from the administering Power, to address the issue of self-determination, including political status and constitutional education;

Recalls the closing of the Hovensa plant in 2012, which had a negative economic impact on the Territory;

Reiterates its call for the inclusion of the Territory in regional programmes of the United Nations Development Programme, consistent with the participation of other Non-Self-Governing Territories;

Welcomes the active participation of the Territory in the work of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean;

Stresses that the Territory should continue to participate in the activities of the Special Committee, including regional seminars, in order to provide the Committee with up-to-date information regarding the decolonization process;

Also stresses the importance of the Special Committee being apprised of the views and wishes of the people of the United States Virgin Islands and enhancing its understanding of their conditions, including the nature and scope of the existing political and constitutional arrangements between the United States Virgin Islands and the administering Power;

Calls upon the administering Power to participate in and cooperate fully with the work of the Special Committee in order to implement the provisions of Article 73 e of the Charter and the Declaration and in order to advise the Committee on the implementation of the provisions under Article 73 b of the Charter on efforts to promote self-government in the United States Virgin Islands, and encourages the administering Power to facilitate visiting and special missions to the Territory;

Reaffirms the responsibility of the administering Power under the Charter to promote the economic and social development and to preserve the cultural identity of the Territory, and requests the administering Power to take steps to enlist and make effective use of all possible assistance, on both a bilateral and a multilateral basis, in the strengthening of the economy of the Territory;

Takes into account the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals, stresses the importance of fostering the economic and social sustainable development of the Territory by promoting sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth, creating greater opportunities for all, reducing inequalities, raising basic standards of living, fostering equitable social development and inclusion and promoting the integrated and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems that supports, inter alia, economic, social and human development, while facilitating ecosystem conservation, regeneration, restoration and resilience in the face of new and emerging challenges, and strongly urges the administering Power to refrain from undertaking any kind of illicit, harmful and unproductive activities, including the use of the Territory as an international financial centre, that are not aligned with the interest of the people of the Territory;

Requests the Territory and the administering Power to take all measures necessary to protect and conserve the environment of the Territory against any degradation, and once again requests the specialized agencies concerned to monitor environmental conditions in the Territory and to provide assistance to the Territory, consistent with their prevailing rules of procedure;

Reiterates its call upon the administering Power, the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system and regional organizations to provide all the assistance necessary to the Territory, support the recovery and rebuilding efforts and enhance capabilities for emergency preparedness and risk reduction, in particular in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria that impacted the Territory in 2017;

Requests the Special Committee to continue to examine the question of the United States Virgin Islands and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session and on the implementation of the present resolution.

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