A/RES/52/77 Page 3 Convinced also that any negotiations to determine the status of a Territory must not take place without the active involvement and participation of the people of that Territory, Recognizing that all available options for self-determination of the Territories are valid as long as they are in accordance with the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned and in conformity with the clearly defined principles contained in resolutions 1514 (XV), 1541 (XV) and other resolutions of the General Assembly, Mindful that United Nations visiting missions provide an effective means of ascertaining the situation in the Territories, and considering that the possibility of sending further visiting missions to the Territories at an appropriate time and in consultation with the administering Powers should be kept under review, Noting that the Special Committee held at St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda, from 21 to 23 May 1997, a Caribbean regional seminar to review the political, economic and social conditions in the Territories, Mindful 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 the Committee to be apprised by the administering Powers, and to receive information from other appropriate sources, concerning the wishes and aspirations of the peoples of the Territories, Mindful also in this connection that the Special Committee considers 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, as a helpful means to fulfil its mandate, 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 further that some Territories have not had any United Nations visiting mission for a long period of time, and that no such visiting missions have been sent to some of the Territories, Noting with appreciation the contribution to the development of some Territories by specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Development Programme, and regional institutions such as the Caribbean Development Bank, 1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the peoples of the Territories to self-determination, including, if they so wish, independence, 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; 2. Reaffirms also that it is ultimately for the peoples of the Territories themselves 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 Powers, in cooperation with the territorial Governments, to facilitate programmes of political education in the Territories in order to foster an awareness among the people of their right to self-determination in conformity with legitimate political status options, including those defined in resolution 1541 (XV); 3. Requests the administering Powers to transmit to the Secretary-General information called for under Article 73 e of the Charter and other information and reports, including reports on the wishes and aspirations of the peoples of the Territories regarding their future political status as expressed in fair and free referendums and other forms of popular consultation, as well as the results of any informed and democratic processes consistent with practice under the Charter that indicate the clear and freely expressed wish of the people to change the existing status of the Territories; /...