A/RES/58/108 A-B
further visiting missions to the Territories at an appropriate time and in consultation
with the administering Powers,
Mindful also that, in order for the Special Committee to enhance its
understanding of the political status of the peoples of the Territories and to fulfil its
mandate effectively, it is important for it to be apprised by the administering Powers
and to receive information from other appropriate sources, including the
representatives of the Territories, concerning the wishes and aspirations of the
peoples of the Territories,
Recognizing the need for the Special Committee to embark actively on a public
awareness campaign aimed at assisting the peoples of the Territories in gaining an
understanding of the options of self-determination,
Mindful, in this connection, that the holding of regional seminars in the
Caribbean and Pacific regions and at Headquarters and other venues, with the active
participation of representatives of the Non-Self-Governing Territories, provides a
helpful means for the Special Committee to fulfil its mandate, and that the regional
nature of the seminars, which alternate between the Caribbean and the Pacific, is a
crucial element in their success, while recognizing the need for reviewing the role of
those seminars in the context of a United Nations programme for ascertaining the
political status of the Territories,
Mindful also that, by holding a Caribbean regional seminar at The Valley,
Anguilla, from 20 to 22 May 2003, the Special Committee was able to hear the
views of the representatives of the Territories and Member States as well as
organizations and experts in the region, in order to review the political, economic
and social conditions in the Territories,
Aware of the special circumstances of the geographical location and economic
conditions of each Territory, and bearing in mind the necessity of promoting
economic stability and diversifying and strengthening further the economies of the
respective Territories as a matter of priority,
Conscious of the particular vulnerability of the Territories to natural disasters
and environmental degradation and, in this connection, bearing in mind the
programmes of action of the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development, 3 the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction, 4 the Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, 5 the
International Conference on Population and Development, 6 the United Nations
_______________
3
See Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 314 June 1992 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigenda), vol. I: Resolutions adopted
by the Conference.
4
See A/CONF.172/9, chap. I.
5
See Report of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States,
Bridgetown, Barbados, 25 April-6 May 1994 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.94.I.18 and
corrigenda), chap. I.
6
Report of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5-13 September 1994
(United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.XIII.18), chap. I, resolution 1, annex.
3