Cessation of the transmission of information under Article 73 e of the Charter in respect of Greenland

IX. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE
849. Cessation of the transmission of in. formation under Article 73 e of the Charter in respect of Greenland

The General Assembly, Recalling that, by resolution 222 (III) of 3 November 1948, the General Assembly, while welcoming any development of self-government in Non-Self-Governing Territories, considers it essential that the United Nations be informed of any change in the constitutional status of any such Territory as a result of which the responsible Government concerned thinks it unnecessary to transmit further information in respect of that Territory under Article 73 e of the Charter, Having received from the Government of Denmark a communication[1] dated 3 September 1953 informing the Secretary-General that, as a result of the constitutional amendment adopted on 5 June 1953, Greenland has become an integral part of the Danish Realm with a constitutional status equal to that of other parts of Denmark and that, as a consequence of this constitutional change, the Danish Government regarded its responsibilities under Chapter XI of the Charter in respect of Greenland as terminated and had, therefore, decided to bring to an end the transmission of information under Article 73 e of the Charter, Considering that resolution 742 (VII) adopted by the General Assembly on 27 November 1953 instructs the Committee on Information from Non-Self -Governing Territories to study any documentation transmitted under resolution 222 (III) in the light of the list of factors approved by resolution 742 (VIII) and other relevant considerations that may arise from each concrete case, Having studied the report[2] prepared by the Committee on Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories during its session of 1954 on the question of the cessation of the transmission of information on Greenland and presented to the General Assembly in conformity with paragraph 2 of resolution 448 (V) of 12 December 1950, Having examined the communication of the Government of Denmark in the light of the basic principles and objectives embodied in Chapter XI of the Charter, the criteria established by the list of factors, and of all the other elements of judgment pertinent to the issue, Bearing in mind the competence of the General Assembly to decide whether a Non-Self-Governing Territory has or has not attained a full measure of self-government as referred to in Chapter XI of the Charter,

1. Takes note of the conclusions set forth by the Committee on Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories in its resolution;[3]

2. Takes note of the opinion of the Government of Denmark that due to the new constitutional status of Greenland the Government of Denmark regards its "responsibilities according to Chapter XI of the Charter as terminated" and that consequently the transmission of information under Article 73 e of the Charter in respect of Greenland should be brought to an end;

3. Commends the action of the Member State concerned in including in its delegation to the General Assembly representatives elected by the National Council of Greenland for the purpose of furnishing information on constitutional changes in Greenland;

4. Takes note that when deciding on their new constitutional status, through their duly elected representatives, the people of Greenland have freely exercised their right to self-determination;

5. Expresses the opinion that, from the documentation and the explanations provided, Greenland freely decided on its integration within the Kingdom of Denmark on an equal constitutional and administrative basis with the other parts of Denmark;

6. Notes with satisfaction the achievement of self-government by the people of Greenland;

7. Considers that due to these circumstances the Declaration regarding Non-Self-Governing Territories with the provisions established under it in Chapter XI of the Charter can no longer be applied to Greenland;

8. Considers it appropriate that the transmission of information in respect of Greenland under Article 73 e of the Charter should now cease.

499th plenary meeting,
22 November 1954.

---

[1] See documents A/AC.35/L.155 and Corr.1 [2] See Official Records of the General Assembly, Ninth Session, Supplement No. 18, part one, section IX. [3] Ibid., para. 61.