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UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY U'v Distr. GENERAL A/6868/Add .l ,0 October 1967 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Twenty-second session Agenda item 24 ACTIVITIES OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC AND OTHER INTERESTS WHICH ARE IMPEDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION ON THE GRANTING OF INDEPENDENCE TO COLONIAL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES IN SOUTHERN RHODESIA, SOUTH WEST AFRICA AND TERRITORIES UNDER PORTUGUESE DOMINATION AND IN ALL OTHER TERRITORIES UNDER COLONIAL DOMINATION AND EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE COLONIALISM, APARTHEID ADD RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA Report bf the Special Committ . on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples Annex REPORT OF SUB-COMMITTTEE I* Rapporteur: Mr. Rafic JOUEJATI (Syria) CONTENTS Paragraphs INTRODUCTION ...... ........................ .....1 - 6 CONSIDERATION BY THE SUB-OMMITTEE ....... .............. 7 - 134 A. Statements by members ............... Page 3 7 - 80 B. Conclusions ........ .................... .81 - 132 C. Recommendations. ................ 133 D. Adoption of report ....... ................. 134 * Previously issued under the symbol A/AC.109/L.434. 67-25207 ... A/6868/Add.l English Page 2 CONTENTS (continued) APPENDICES: I. Economic conditions in Southern Rhodesia with particular reference to foreign economic interests II. Economic conditions in South West Africa witn particular reference to foreign economic interests III. Territories under Portuguese administration: Economic activities in selected sectors with special reference to foreign interests IV. Economic conditions in Fiji, with particular reference to foreign economic interests V. Economic conditions in Mauritius with particular reference to foreign economic interests VI. Economic conditions in Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea with particular reference to foreign economic interests VII. Economic conditions in the Bahamas with particular reference to foreign economic interests VIII. Statements by petitioners A/6868/Add.l English Page 3 INTRODUCTION 1. In accordance with General Assembly resolution 1899 (XVIII) of 13 November 1963 and subsequent resolutions of the Special Committee of 25 March and 3 July 1964, and of 26 April 1966, the Sub-Committee studied the activities of foreign economic and other interests in South West Africa, Southern Rhodesia and the Territories under Portuguese administration.fa2. On 12 December 1966, following its consideration of the report of the Special Committee, the General Assembly adopted resolution 2189 (mXI) in which it condemned the activities of those foreign financial and economic interests in colonial Territories, in particular in South West Africa, Southern Rhodesia and the Territories under Portuguese domination, which supported colonial r~gimes and thus constituted a serious obstacle to the implementation of General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), and urged the Governments concerned to end those activities. It also condemned the policies pursued by certain administering Powers in the Territories under their domination of imposing non-representative regimes and constitutions, strengthening the position of foreign financial and economic interests, misleading world public opinion, and encouraging the systematic influx of foreign immigrants whilst displacing, deporting and transferring the indigenous inhabitants to other areas, and called upon those Powers to desist from such manoeuvres. The General Assembly decided to include in the provisional agenda of its twenty-second session an item entitled "Activities of foreign economic and other interests which are impeding the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Southern Rhodesia, South West Africa and Territories under Portuguese domination and in all other Territories under colonial domination". / The Sub-Committee's reports on these Territories are contained in the following documents: Official Records of the General Assembly, Nineteenth Session, Annex No. 15 (A/5840); Ibid., Twentieth Session, Annexes, Addendum to item 23 (Ai600/Rev.1), chapter V, appendix; A/6300/Add.3 (Part II), appendix; A/6300/Add.1 (Part II), appendix. I... A/686/Add.13 English Page 4 3. At its 438th mceting on 20 February 1967, the Special Committee decided to request Sub-Committee I to undertake a study of this item. 4. Pursuant to the request by the Sub-Committee, the Secretariat prepared seven working papers on economic conditions in South WHest Africa, Southern Rhodesia, Territories under Portuguese administration, Fiji, Mauritius, Papua and New Guinea and the Bahamas (see appendices I-VII) as well as one paper containing excerpts of statements by petitioners (see appendix Viii). The working papers on the Territories in southern Africa were designed to bring up to date the previous studies. 5. The Sub-Comittee considered the question of the activities of foreign economic and other interests which are impeding the implementation of the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples in Southern Rhodesia, South West Africa and Territories under Portuguese domination and in all other Territories under colonial domination at its 39th to 44th meetings held between 10 May to 29 August 1967. 6. In formulating conclusions and recommendations on the question under consideration, the Sub-Comittee also took into account additional relevant information provided by its members. CONSIDERATION BY THE SU-C0Od9ITTEE A. Statements by members 7. The Chairman drew attention to the seven working papers which had been prepared by the Secretariat on economic conditions in Southern Rhodesia, South West Africa, Territories under Portuguese administration, Mauritius, Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea, Fiji and the Bahamas. The item under consideration had been included separately in the agenda for the twenty-second session of the General Assembly and it was therefore important that the Sub- Committee should prepare a report in time for submission to that session. 8. The representative of Syria said that the item was of paramount importance since a study of the activities of foreign and economic and other interests would reveal the true reasons for the subjection to foreign control of parts of Africa and Asia, contrary to the United Nations Charter. In its approach to the task, A/6868/Add l English Page 5 the Sub-Committee should be guided by concern for the true implementation of the basic principles of the Charter and by a sense of urgency, since the problem was becoming increasingly acute. 9. The Sub-Committee required expert help if it was to carry out its task. He paid a tribute to the excellent work done by the Secretariat in preparing the working papers, which provided an adequate picture of economic conditions in the Territories still under colonial domination. It would be helpful to the Sub- Committee, however, to have more information about the actual conditions in which the majority of the population lived and worked rather than the figures of national revenue increases which only resulted in a still lower general standard. of living. It would be interesting to know what proportion of the profits of foreign enterprises was used for the welfare of the masses and how those profits were earned, whether, for instance, they resulted from under-payment of the workers. If the Territories were all to enjoy self-determination, as they should, it was important to allow the population to qcquire skills and to have access to posts of responsibility. The African workers had been under-paid, underfed, discriminated against and deprived of opportunities for advancement, and no change was apparent. The Secretariat working papers did nut go far enough tnd some further elaboration would be welcome. For instance, in the working paper of Territories under Portuguese domination, it was stated that the situation had not changed in 1965-1966 despite new foreign investment in certain sectors,, but that statement was not elaborated. The same working paper contained an excellent classification of the objectives of agricultural policy, but provided no information about the repercussions of those objectives on the status, wages and access to managerial skills of the African workers. In the working paper on Southern Rhodesia, it was only at the very end, in the sections on employment and wages, that any comparison was made between the conditions of Africans and those of Europeans, Coloureds and Asians. What was required was a thorough scrutiny of the operations and methods of foreign monopolies. He pointed out that ro informaticn had been Irovided on some Territories, such as Aden and Oman, although it was known that foreign companies were prospecting& for oil in Oman. ... A/6868/Add .1 English Page 6 10. The representative of Tunisia agreed with the representative of Syria that expert help was required in dealing with such an important and complicated question. He thanked the Secretariat for preparing the working papers, but noted that they did not deal with certain Territories still under foreign domination or with the question as a whole. It would be useful to have an over-all survey and analytical tables dealing with all aspects of the problem in the various Territories; for instance, conditions of work should be studied as a whole. It would be too much to hope that the Sub-Committee could complete a thorough study of the question before the twenty-second session of the General Assembly but it could