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UNITED NATIONS General Assembly Distr. jjkj -• / GENERAL A/AC.109/636 nr;T ' :C3J 30 September 1980 ! n • • • • -w i .. • ORIGINAL: ENGLISH SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE SITUATION WITH REGARD TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION ON THE GRANTING OF INDEPENDENCE TO COLONIAL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS VISITING MISSION TO THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, 1980 CONTENTS Paragraphs INTRODUCTION 1-13 A. Terms of reference 1-6 B. Composition of the Visiting Mission. 7-9 C. Itinerary 10 D. Acknowledgements 11 - 13 I. INFORMATION ON THE TERRITORY 14 - 182 A. General description 14 - 18 B. Constitutional and political developments 19 - 100 C. Economic-conditions 101 - 164 D. Social conditions 165 - 174 E. Educational conditions 175 - 182 | II. ACTIVITIES OF THE VISITING MISSION ) ) [See A/AC.109/636/Add.1] III. DISCUSSIONS HELD AT LONDON ON 27 MAY 1980 ) IV. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS [See A/AC.109/636/Add.2] 80-23034 7933E (E) /• A/AC. 10 9/636 English Page 2 CONTENTS (continued) Anne xes I. ITINERARY OF THE VISITING MISSION II. MAP OF THE TORKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS III. STATEMENT MADE BY THE CHAIFMAN OF THE VISITING MISSION ON 16 APRIL 1980 IV. EXPLANATION SUBMITTED TO THE VISITING MISSION OF POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS V. COMPOS IT ION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS [See A/AC.109/636/Add VI. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR THE TORKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS VII. TORKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS*. GOVERNMENT REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE, 1976-1980 VIII. TORKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS*. LABOUR FORCE BY EMPLOYMENT STATUS, ISLAND AND SEX, DECEMBER 19 78 IX. TORKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS*. IABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION, APRIL 1970 AND DECEMBER 1978 / A/AC.109/636 English Page 3 INTRODUCTION A. Terms of reference 1. Responding to the appeals by the General Assembly that administering Powers permit access by United Nations visiting missions to Territories under their administration, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in early 1979 invited the Special Committee to send a visiting mission to the Turks and Caicos Islands in the spring of 1980 so as to enable the Committee to obtain an accurate and first-hand impression of conditions in the Territory. 2. At its 1153rd meeting, on 7 August 1979, the Special Committee, by adopting the related report of the Sub-Committee on Small Territories (A/AC.109/L. 1325) , welcomed the invitation extended by the administering Power. 1/ 3. At its thirty-fourth session, the General Assembly, having examined the relevant chapters of the report of the Special Committee 2/, adopted resolution 34/34 of 21 November 1979 concerning five Territories under United Nations administration, among them the Turks and Caicos Islands. By paragraphs 8 and 9 of that resolution, the General Assembly welcomed the positive attitude of the administering Power with respect to receiving United Nations visiting missions in the Territories under its administration, and in particular its invitation to the Special Committee to dispatch a visiting mission to the Turks and Caicos Islands in 1980. 4. Subsequently, by a note verbale dated 11 March 1980 addressed to the Chairman of the Special Committee (A/AC. 109/592) , the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, on behalf of his Government, invited the Committee to send a visiting missicn to the Turks and Caicos Islands from 16 to 2 6 April 1980 . 5. At its 1165th meeting, on 28 March 1980 , the Special Committee decided to accept the invitation and to request the Chairman to appoint the members of the Visiting Mission. 6. In accordance with the decision taken by the Special Committee at its 1165th meeting, and on the basis of the related consultations, the Chairman of the Special Committee on 1 April 1980 informed the members of the Committee that the members of the Visiting Missicn to the Turks and Caicos Islands would be Venezuela (Chairman), India and Ivory Coast. 1/ See Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 23 (A/34/23/Rev.l), vol. Ill, chap. XXIV, paras. 6-9. 2/ Ibid., vol. I, chaps. IV, V, annexes III-V and VI, annex III and vol. Ill, chaps. XXI-XXV. A/AC. 109/636 English Page 4 B. Composition of the Visiting Mission 7. The composition of the Mission was as follows: German Nava-Car r illo (Venezuela), Chairman Satyabrata Pal (India) Lobognon Pierre Yere (Ivory Coast) 8. Mr. T. P. Sreenivasan replaced Mr. Pal as representative of India during the Mission's consultations with officials of the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, held at London on 27 May 1980 (see para. 10 below). 9. The Mission was accompanied by the following staff members of the United Nations Secretariat: Mr. A. Z. Nsilo Swai, Principal Secretary, Mr. Kenneth Jordan, Political Affairs Officer*, Mr. Enrique Robert and Miss Edith Macherez , Interpreters*, Mr. Max Buki, Administrative Officer*, and Miss Martha Springer, Secretary. C. Itinerary 3/ I 10. The Mission departed from New York on 15 April 1980 and arrived at Grand Turk on the afternoon of 16 April, where it was met by the Governor, the Chief Minister and other members of the territorial Government. On the same day, the Chairman of the Mission made a statement which was broadcast by Radio Turks and Caicos (see annex III to the present report). During the course of its stay the Mission visited the islands of Grand Turk, South Caicos, Providenciales, Middle Caicos, Salt Cay and North Caicos, vhere it held meetings with officials, community groups and members of the public. After its return to New York, the Mission visited Londcn on 27 May for consultations with the United Kingdom Government. D. Ac k now ledge men ts 11. The Mission wishes to place on record its deep appreciation to the Government of the United Kingdom for the close co-operation, assistance and courtesy it extended to the Mission during the consultations in London. It also wishes to thank Mr_ Michael W. Maclay, of the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, vho accompanied the Mission during its visit to the Territory and gave it valuable assistance. 12. The members of the Mission also wish to express their profound gratitude for the co-operation and warm hospitality extended to them by the Government and peopl of the Turks and Caicos Islands. 3/ For the complete itinerary of the Visiting Mission and a map of the Territory, see annexes I and II to the present report. A/AC.109/636 English Page 5 13. The Mission wishes in particular to convey its thanks to Mr. John C. Strong, the Governor of the Territory, Mr.. Lewis E. Astwood, the Minister of Public Works, Utilities and Labour, and their colleagues on the Executive and Legislative Councils, for facilitating the work of the Mission. It also wishes to place on record its appreciation for the courtesy extended to it by the late Mr. James A. G. S. McCartney, who was Chief Minister of the Territory at the time of the Mission's visit (see para. 97 below). I. INFORMATION ON THE TERRITORY A. General description 14. The Turks and Caicos Islands lie to the south-east of the Bahama Islands and about 145 kilometres north of the Dominican Republic. They consist of two groups of islands separated by a deep-water channel, approximately 35 kilometres wide, known as the Turks Islands Passage; the Turks Islands lie to the east of the passage and the Caicos Islands to the west. The Turks Group comprises two inhabited islands, Grand Turk and Salt Cay, six uninhabited cays and a large number of rocks (islets). The principal islands in the Caicos group are South Caicos, East Caicos, Middle (or Grand) Caicos, North Caicos, Providenciales and West Caicos. East and West Caicos have no settlements. 15. In April 1970, the population of the Territory numbered 5,558, of whom the majority was of African descent, the remainder being of mixed or European origin. At that time, approximately 2,300 people lived in Cockburn Town, on Grand Turk, the Territory's capital. In October 1977, the population of the Territory was estimated at 6,800, and was distributed throughout the six major inhabited islands (Pine Cay and Parrot Cay residents were included under North Caicos) as follows, with percentages given in parentheses: Apr il 1970 October 1977 Change Grand Turk 2,287 (41) 2,956 (43) +669 (+29) Salt Cay 334 (6) 258 (4) -76 (-23) South Caicos 1,018 (18) 1,253 (18) +235 (+23) Middle Caicos 362 (7) 382 (6) +20 (+6) North Caicos 999 (18) 1,143 (17) +144 (+14) Providenciales 558 (10) 812 (12) +254 (+46) Total 5,558 (100) 6,804 (100) +1,246 (+22) 16. According to information provided by the territorial Government, the population decline of the 1960s (the population stood at 5,668 in 1960) was reversed in the 1970s, when the population grew at an average rate of 3 per cent per annum. Providenciales, Grand Turk and South Caicos were the leading islands in terms of population growth, while North and Middle Caicos grew more slowly and A/AC. 109/636 English Page 6 Salt Cay, which had lost 25 per cent of its population in the 1960s, experienced a further decline of 23 per cent between 1970 and 1977. The working age population (15-64 years of age) grew at a higher rate (3.9 per cent per annum) than other age groups in the period 1970-1977. It was noted that the proportion of the population under 15 years of age was much higher in the Caicos Islands (e.g., over 50 per cent in North Caicos) than in the Turks.