A/RES/76/101
Question of Tokelau
Recalling the status of Tokelau as an associate member of the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and of the Pacific Islands Forum,
Acknowledging the World No Tobacco Day Award for the western Pacific region
granted to Tokelau in 2017 by the World Health Organization for its policy entitled
“Tobacco-Free Tokelau by 2020”, and expressing hope that this could contribute to
the health and well-being of the Territory and its peoples,
Cognizant that New Zealand and Tokelau signed, on 21 November 2003, a
document entitled “Joint statement of the principles of partnership”, which sets out
the rights and responsibilities of the two partners,
Bearing in mind the decision of the General Fono at its meeting in Nove mber
2003, following extensive consultations undertaken in all three villages, to explore
formally with New Zealand the option of self-government in free association, its
decision in August 2005 to hold in February 2006 a referendum on self -determination
on the basis of a draft constitution for Tokelau and a draft treaty of free association
with New Zealand, and its subsequent decision to hold a further referendum in
October 2007, and bearing in mind also that the two referendums did not produce the
two-thirds majority of valid votes cast required by the General Fono to change the
status of Tokelau from that of a Non-Self-Governing Territory under the
administration of New Zealand,
Noting the holding of free and fair elections in the Territory on 23 January 2020,
and noting also the most recent change of the Ulu-o-Tokelau during the General Fono,
on 8 March 2021,
Recalling the 2013 constitutional consultations, to be further considered by the
Constitution Committee, which were driven by the people of Tokelau and which
aimed at developing a model of government structure that is culturally appropriate
and sensitive to their current situation, culminating in the approval and ratification of
the national symbol of the Territory, along with the constitution, national anthem and
national flag,
Cognizant of the statement made by the Ulu-o-Tokelau at the Pacific regional
seminar on the implementation of the Third International Decade for the Erad ication
of Colonialism, held in Nadi, Fiji, from 21 to 23 May 2014, and also of the written
statement for the Pacific regional seminar held in Saint George’s from 9 to 11 May
2018 that the self-determination process of the Territory could not be addressed in
isolation from the threat of climate change, the rise in sea level and the challenges to
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 2 and bearing in mind the development
aspirations of Tokelau as expressed in the National Strategic Plan 2016 –2020,
including a self-determination referendum,
Recalling the official launch in April 2017 of the climate change strategy of
Tokelau, entitled “Living with change: an integrated national strategy for enhancing
the resilience of Tokelau to climate change and related hazards, 2017–2030”, and the
implementation plan for the first five years of the strategy, from 1 July 2017 to
30 June 2022, and welcoming the launch of the Tokelau national greenhouse gas
inventory report on 11 April 2019,
Recalling also the announcement of the administering Power that, as requested
by the Government of Tokelau, it had submitted a formal declaration to the United
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2/5
Resolution 70/1.
21-18705