Question of the British Virgin Islands

A/RES/77/137View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 55 Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, published in 2022.

What other versions does this mandate have?

20 versions · 1977–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/93

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/93	Question of the British Virgin Islands	2,291	90%Compare
2024	A/RES/79/102	Question of the British Virgin Islands	2,160	94%Compare
2023	A/RES/78/89	Question of the British Virgin Islands	2,145	96%Compare
2022	A/RES/77/137	Question of the British Virgin Islands	2,110	84%Compare
2021	A/RES/76/93	Question of the British Virgin Islands	2,115	92%Compare

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

British Virgin Islands Decolonization Non-Self-Governing Territories Self-Determination of Peoples

What’s in this document?

17 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of the British Virgin Islands to self-determination, 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;

Also reaffirms that, in the process of decolonization of the British Virgin Islands, there is no alternative to the principle of self-determination, which is also a fundamental human right, as recognized under the relevant human rights conventions;

Further reaffirms that it is ultimately for the people of the British Virgin Islands 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 Power, in cooperation with the territorial Government and appropriate bodies of the United Nations system, to develop political education programmes for the Territory in order to foster an awareness among the people of their right to self-determination in conformity with the legitimate political status options, based on the principles clearly defined in Assembly resolution 1541 (XV) and other relevant resolutions and decisions;

Recalls the 2007 Constitution of the British Virgin Islands, and stresses the importance of continued discussions on constitutional matters, to accord greater responsibility to the territorial Government for the effective implementation of the Constitution and increased levels of education relating to constitutional matters;

Calls for full respect of the Constitution and the mutual agreement with respect to the recommendations of the report of the Commission of Inquiry, and calls upon all parties involved to maintain dialogue and work in partnership in the interest of the people of the Territory;

Stresses the need for continued close monitoring by the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples of the situation in the Territory, including the dispatch of a visiting mission, in close consultation with the administering Power and the territorial Government;

Requests the administering Power to assist the Territory by facilitating its work concerning public educational outreach efforts, consistent with Article 73 b of the Charter, and in that regard calls upon the relevant United Nations organizations to provide assistance to the Territory, if requested;

Welcomes the active participation of the Territory in the work of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean;

Stresses that the Territory should continue to participate in the activities of the Special Committee, including regional seminars, in order to provide the Committee with up-to-date information regarding the decolonization process;

Also stresses the importance of the Special Committee being apprised of the views and wishes of the people of the British Virgin Islands and enhancing its understanding of their conditions, including the nature and scope of the existing political and constitutional arrangements between the British Virgin Islands and the administering Power;

Calls upon the administering Power to participate in and cooperate fully with the work of the Special Committee in order to implement the provisions of Article 73 e of the Charter and the Declaration and in order to advise the Committee on the implementation of the provisions under Article 73 b of the Charter on efforts to promote self-government in the British Virgin Islands, and encourages the administering Power to facilitate visiting and special missions to the Territory;

Also calls upon the administering Power to facilitate a visiting mission to the Territory, and requests the Chair of the Special Committee to take all the steps necessary to that end;

Reaffirms the responsibility of the administering Power under the Charter to promote the economic and social development and to preserve the cultural identity of the Territory, and requests the administering Power to take steps to enlist and make effective use of all possible assistance, on both a bilateral and a multilateral basis, in the strengthening of the economy of the Territory;

Takes into account the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,⁸ including the Sustainable Development Goals, stresses the importance of fostering the economic and social sustainable development of the Territory by promoting sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth, creating greater opportunities for all, reducing inequalities, raising basic standards of living, fostering equitable social development and inclusion and promoting the integrated and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems that supports, inter alia, economic, social and human development, while facilitating ecosystem conservation, regeneration, restoration and resilience in the face of new and emerging challenges, and strongly urges the administering Power to refrain from undertaking any kind of illicit, harmful and unproductive activities, including the use of the Territory as an international financial centre, that are not aligned with the interest of the people of the Territory;

⁸Resolution 70/1.

Requests the Territory and the administering Power to take all measures necessary to protect and conserve the environment of the Territory against any degradation, and once again requests the specialized agencies concerned to monitor environmental conditions in the Territory and to provide assistance to the Territory, consistent with their prevailing rules of procedure;

Reiterates its call upon the administering Power, the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system and regional organizations to provide all the necessary assistance to the Territory, support the recovery and rebuilding efforts and enhance capabilities for emergency preparedness and risk reduction, in particular in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria that impacted the Territory in 2017;

Requests the Special Committee to continue to examine the question of the British Virgin Islands and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session and on the implementation of the present resolution.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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