United Nations Security Council Resolution 683
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
683, adopted on December 22, 1990, after recalling Resolution 21
(1947) which approved the Trusteeship Territory of the Japanese Mandated Islands (since known as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
) as well as Chapter XII of the United Nations Charter
which established the United Nations Trusteeship system
, the Council determined that, in the light of entry into force of new status agreements for Federated States of Micronesia
, the Marshall Islands
and the Northern Mariana Islands
, the objectives of the Trusteeship Agreement had been completed and therefore ended the Trusteeship Agreement with those entities.
The Council also hoped that the people of Palau
, which had not yet completed the negotiations, will be freely able to exercise their right to self-determination
, as the above-mentioned states already had. At the same time, the Council welcomed the Administering Authority's assurance that it would assist the Government of Palau in attaining its final status in determining its future direction.
Resolution 683 was adopted by 14 votes in favour, with Cuba
voting against the resolution, stating it had felt the Council had not properly discharged its responsibilities. The Cuban representative said that it should have given the people of the territories concerned an opportunity to explain their reasons for not wanting the Council to take the action it had taken.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
683, adopted on December 22, 1990, after recalling Resolution 21
United Nations Security Council Resolution 21
United Nations Security Council Resolution 21, adopted unanimously on April 2, 1947, placed the former German Pacific Islands north of the Equator, which were formerly mandated to Japan by the League of Nations, under the Trusteeship System. The Security Council declared 16 Articles under which it...
(1947) which approved the Trusteeship Territory of the Japanese Mandated Islands (since known as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1986.-History:...
) as well as Chapter XII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter XII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter XII of the United Nations Charter deals with the international trusteeship system. It reaffirms the twin goals mentioned in Chapter XI to "promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the inhabitants of the trust territories, and their progressive development...
which established the United Nations Trusteeship system
United Nations Trusteeship Council
The United Nations Trusteeship Council, one of the principal organs of the United Nations, was established to help ensure that trust territories were administered in the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace and security...
, the Council determined that, in the light of entry into force of new status agreements for Federated States of Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
, the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
and the Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
, the objectives of the Trusteeship Agreement had been completed and therefore ended the Trusteeship Agreement with those entities.
The Council also hoped that the people of Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, which had not yet completed the negotiations, will be freely able to exercise their right to self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
, as the above-mentioned states already had. At the same time, the Council welcomed the Administering Authority's assurance that it would assist the Government of Palau in attaining its final status in determining its future direction.
Resolution 683 was adopted by 14 votes in favour, with Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
voting against the resolution, stating it had felt the Council had not properly discharged its responsibilities. The Cuban representative said that it should have given the people of the territories concerned an opportunity to explain their reasons for not wanting the Council to take the action it had taken.
See also
- Compact of Free AssociationCompact of Free AssociationThe Compact of Free Association defines the relationship that three sovereign states—the Federated States of Micronesia , the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau—have entered into as associated states with the United States.Now sovereign nations, the three freely associated...
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 601 to 700 (1987 – 1991)
- United Nations Trust TerritoriesUnited Nations Trust TerritoriesUnited Nations trust territories were the successors of the remaining League of Nations mandates and came into being when the League of Nations ceased to exist in 1946. All of the trust territories were administered through the UN Trusteeship Council...