Comprehensive Sanctions Against the Apartheid Regime and Support to the Liberation Struggle in South Africa

A/RES/39/72[A]View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 31 Policies of apartheid of the Government of South Africa, published in 1985.

What subjects does this mandate have?

19 subjects

Aggression Anti-Apartheid Movements Apartheid Conferences Democratization Financial Assistance Front-Line States Military Assistance National Liberation Movements Neighbouring States Nuclear Facilities Refugee Assistance Sanctions South Africa South African Refugees Transnational Corporations Troop Withdrawal War Damage Compensation Youth Movements

What’s in this document?

42 operative paragraphs

A/RES/39/72 [A]

A

Endorses the annual report of the Special Commit tee against Apartheid;

Commends the declarations of conferences organ ized or co-sponsored by the Special Committee to the attention of all Governments and organizations;

Strongly condemns the apartheid regime of South Africa for its continued brutal oppression, repression and violence, including the recent use of the armed forces against the black people, its illegal occupation of Namibia and its repeated acts of aggression, subversion and terror ism against independent African States;

Condemns the policy of "bantustanization" and the so-called "new constitution" designed to dispossess the African majority of its inalienable rights and to deprive it of citizenship, as well as the continuing forced removals of black people;

Again declares that only the total eradication of apartheid and the establishment of a non-racial demo cratic society based on majority rule, through the full and free exercise of adult suffrage by all the people in a united and non-fragmented South Africa, can lead to a just and lasting solution of the explosive situation in South Africa;

Proclaims that the United Nations and the interna tional community have a special responsibility towards the oppressed people of South Africa, their liberation movements and all those engaged in the legitimate struggle for the elimination of apartheid and the establishment of a non-racial democratic society ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms for all the people of the country. irrespective of race, colour. sex or creed;

Demands that all troops of the racist regime of South Africa be immediately and unconditionally with drawn from Angola, that an end be put to the illegal occu pation of Namibia and that South Africa respect fully the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of inde pendent African States;

Further demands that the racist regime of South Africa pay full compensation to Angola, Lesotho and other independent African States for the damage to life and property caused by its acts of aggression;

Declares that the situation in South Africa consti tutes a grave threat to international peace and security and that the racist regime of South Africa is guilty of acts of aggression, breaches of the peace and constant violations of the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations;

I 0. Urges the Security Council to consider urgently measures to ensure the total exclusion of the racist regime of South Africa from the United Nations and its family of organizations;

Again requests the Security Council to give special attention to action, under Chapter VII of the Charter, against South Africa and. in particular:

To consider comprehensive and mandatory sanc tions against the racist regime of South Africa, with prior ity for measures to ensure the total cessation of all military and nuclear co-operation with the racist regime of South Africa and to institute a mandatory oil embargo against South Africa;

To monitor effectively and reinforce the mandatory arms embargo against South Africa;

To prohibit all co-operation with South Africa in the military and nuclear fields by Governments, corpora tions, institutions and individuals;

To prohibit imports of any military equipment or components from South Africa;

To prevent any co-operation or association with South Africa by any military alliances;

(/) To impose an effective embargo on the supply of oil and oil products to South Africa and on all assistance to the oil industry in South Africa;

To prohibit financial loans to and new investments in South Africa, as well as all promotion of trade with South Africa;

Requests all States to refrain from any action that would provide to or imply legitimacy for the Pretoria regime;

Condemns all collaboration with the Pretoria regime by Governments, transnational corporations and institutions;

Condemns the policies of certain Western States and Israel and of their transnational corporations and financial institutions that have increased political, eco nomic, military and nuclear collaboration with the racist minority regime of South Africa despite repeated appeals by the General Assembly;

Rejects and denounces any alliance or co-operation with the Pretoria regime on grounds of strategic or any other interests;

Appeals to all States to respect and support the aspirations of the people of South Africa to attain freedom and independence, and to contribute to peace and interna tional co-operation;

Calls upon all Governments that have not yet done so:

To terminate all military and nuclear collaboration with South Africa and to take all necessary measures for preventing corporations and enterprises under their juris diction from any such collaboration;

To take effective legislative and other measures to ensure the implementation of an oil embargo against South Africa and to take action against corporations and tanker companies involved in the illicit supply of oil to South Africa;

To accede to or ratify the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid;95

To support sports, cultural, academic, consumer and other boycotts of South Africa;

Again proclaims that the South African liberation movements recognized by the Organization of African Unity are the authentic representatives of the people of South Africa in their just struggle for national liberation;

Recognizes the right of the oppressed people and their national liberation movements to resort to all the means at their disposal in their resistance to the illegiti mate racist minority regime of South Africa;

Reaffirms, in particular, the legitimacy of the armed struggle by the oppressed people of South Africa and their national liberation movements, and holds the Pretoria regime responsible for any violence and conflict;

Reaffirms that freedom-fighters of South Africa should be treated as prisoners of war in accordance with Additional Protocol I96 to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949;97

Strongly supports the movement against conscrip tion into the armed forces of the racist regime of South Africa;

Invites all Governments and organizations to assist, in Ɲonsultation with the liberation mo:vements, per sons genumely compelled to leave South Afnca because of their objection on the ground of conscience to serving in the military or police force of the apartheid regime;

Urges all Governments and organizations to pro vide maximal moral, political and material assistance to . the South African liberation movements recognized by the Organization of African Unity, namely, the African National Congress of South Africa and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, and all those struggling for freedom in South Africa in uncompromising opposition to apartheid;

Decides to continue the authorization of adequate financial provision in the regular budget of the United Nations to enable the South African liberation movements recogniƞed by the Organization of African Unity, namely, the Afncan National Congress of South Africa and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, to maintain offices in New York in order to participate effectively in the deliberations of the Special Committee against Apartheid and other appropriate bodies;

Calls upon the international community and all countries to render concrete support and assistance to the front-line and other neighbouring States in the region to enable them to provide adequate security for refugees and to continue to resist the mounting aggression, subversion and economic pressure of the Pretoria regime;

Calls upon all specialized agencies and other orga nizations of the United Nations system, as well as other international organizations that have not yet done so, to exclude the Pretoria regime forthwith;

Urgently calls upon the International Monetary Fund to terminate credits or other assistance to the racist minority regime of South Africa;

Again requests the International Atomic Energy Agency to refrain from extending to South Africa any facil ities which may assist it in its nuclear plans;

Recommends that, in connection with the obser vance of the International Youth Year in 1985, Govern ments and organizations give special attention to the role of youth and students in the struggle against apartheid and effectively observe the anniversary of the Soweto uprising on 16 June 1985;

Commends those Member States that have contin ued to take a firm position in the struggle against apartheid and for the action undertaken in support of the liberation movements in southern Africa;

Further commends the anti-apartheid and solidar ity movements, religious bodies, trade unions, youth and student organizations and other groups engaged in cam paigns for the isolation of the apartheid regime and for assistance to the South African liberation movements rec ognized by the Organization of African Unity;

Requests and authorizes the Special Committee against Apartheid to intensify its activities for the total iso lation of the racist regime of South Africa, for promoting comprehensive and mandatory sanctions against South Africa and for mobilizing public opinion and encouraging public action against collaboration with South Africa.

87 See also sect. I, footnote 8, and sect. X.B.3. decision 39/407.

91 A/AC.I l5/L.605. 88 Resolution 217 A (III).

92 A/39/370-S/ 16686. annex; for the report of 1he Conference, see A/ 89 Official Records of the General 4ssemhlr, Thirtv-n,nth Sessum. Supple- AC. 115/l.6 I 4. ment No. 22 (A/39/22).

93 See A/391450-S/16726, annex. 90AJ38145I-S/l6009, annex 94 AJ39/42'- S11670<l and Corr.I. annex.

95 Resolution 3068 (XXVIIJ), annex.

98 See Ojficial Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-ninth Session, Sup 96 A/32/ l 44, annex I.

plement No. 22 (A/39/22), sect. IV. 97 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, Nos. 970-973.

99 Ibid., Supplement No. 2 2A (Ai 39/221 Add. l 1 IO0 Fh1d .. Supplement No. 36 iA/39/36)

101 A/39/605.

II.

102 Official Records of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of 103 Ibid., document A/CONF.62/121, annex I. the Sea, vol. XVII (United Nations publication. Sales No. E.84.Y.3), docu ment A/CONF.6211 22.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

A

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