A/RES/52/77 Page 11 X. TOKELAU Noting with interest the statement made and the information on the political and economic situation in Tokelau provided by the representative of the Territory to the Caribbean regional seminar, held at St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda, from 21 to 23 May 1997,2 Recalling the solemn declaration on the future status of Tokelau delivered by the Ulu-o-Tokelau (the highest authority on Tokelau) on 30 July 1994, that an act of self-determination in Tokelau is now under active consideration, together with the Constitution of a self-governing Tokelau, and that the present preference of Tokelau is for a status of free association with New Zealand, Recalling also the emphasis placed in the solemn declaration on the terms of Tokelau's intended free association relationship with New Zealand, including the expectation that the form of help Tokelau could continue to expect from New Zealand in promoting the well-being of its people, besides its external interests, would be clearly established in the framework of that relationship, Noting with appreciation the continuing exemplary cooperation of New Zealand as the administering Power with regard to the work 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 Tokelau and its readiness to permit access by United Nations visiting missions to the Territory, Noting also with appreciation the collaborative contribution to the development of Tokelau by New Zealand and the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Development Programme and the International Telecommunication Union, Recalling the dispatch in 1994 of a United Nations visiting mission to Tokelau, Noting that, as a small island Territory, Tokelau exemplifies the situation of most remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, Noting also that, as a case study pointing to successful decolonization, Tokelau has wider significance for the United Nations as it seeks to complete its work in decolonization, 1. Notes that Tokelau remains firmly committed to the development of self-government and to an act of self-determination that would result in Tokelau assuming a status in accordance with the options on future status for Non-Self-Governing Territories contained in principle VI of the annex to General Assembly resolution 1541 (XV) of 15 December 1960; 2. Also notes Tokelau's desire to move at its own pace towards an act of self-determination; 3. Commends Tokelau for seeking on the basis of wide consultation with its people a form of national government that reflects its unique traditions and environment, and for charting its own constitutional course; 4. Acknowledges the collaboration between New Zealand and Tokelau regarding the Tokelau Amendment Act 1996, which provides Tokelau's national Government with a legislative power, supplementing the executive power delegated in 1994; 5. Also acknowledges Tokelau's need for reassurance, given that local resources cannot adequately cover the material side of self-determination, and the ongoing responsibility of Tokelau's external partners to assist Tokelau in balancing its desire to be self-reliant to the greatest extent possible with its need for external assistance; /...