United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1761, 6 November 1962

by the UN General Assembly

1761 (XVII). The policies of apartheid of the Government of the Republic of South Africa

The General Assembly,

Recalling its previous resolutions on the question of race conflict in South Africa resulting from the policies of apartheid of the Government of the Republic of South Africa,

Further recalling in resolutions 44 (I) of 8 December 1946, 395 (V) of 2 December 1950, 615 (VII) of 5 December 1952, 1179 (XII) of 26 November 1957, 1302 (XIII) of 10 December 1958, 1460 (XIV) of 10 December 1959, 1597 (XV) of 13 April 1961 and 1962 (XVI) of 28 November 1961, the question of the treatment of peoples of Indian and Indo-Pakistan origin,

Noting the reports of the Governments of India¹ and Pakistan² on that subject,

Recalling that the Security Council in its resolution of 1 April 1960³ recognized that the situation in South Africa was one that had led to international friction and, if continued, might endanger international peace and security,

Recalling further that the Security Council in its aforesaid resolution called upon the Government of South Africa to initiate measures aimed at bringing about racial harmony based on equality in order to ensure that the present situation does not continue or recur, and to abandon its policies of apartheid and racial discrimination,

Regretting that the actions of some Member States indirectly provide encouragement to the Government of South Africa to perpetuate its policy of racial segregation, which has been rejected by the majority of that country's population,

1. Deplores the failure of the Government of the Republic of South Africa to comply with the repeated requests and demands of the General Assembly and of the Security Council and its flouting of world public opinion by refusing to abandon its racial policies;
2. Strongly deprecates the continued and total disregard by the Government of South Africa of its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and, furthermore, its determined aggravation of racial issues by enforcing measures of increasing ruthlessness involving violence and bloodshed;
3. Reaffirms that the continuance of those policies seriously endangers international peace and security;
4. Requests Member States to take the following measures, separately of collectively, in conformity with the Charter, to bring about the abandonment of those policies;
   1. Breaking off diplomatic relations with the Government of the Republic of South Africa or refraining from establishing such relations;
   2. Closing their ports to all vessels flying the South African flag;
   3. Enacting legislation prohibiting their ships from entering South African ports;
   4. Boycotting all South African goods and refraining from exporting goods, including all arms and ammunition, to South Africa;
   5. Refusing landing and passage facilities to all aircraft belonging to the Government of South Africa and companies registered under the laws of South Africa;
5. Decides to establish a Special Committee consisting of representatives of Member States nominated by the President of the General Assembly, with the following terms of reference:
   1. To keep the racial policies of the Government of South Africa under review when the Assembly is not in session;
   2. To report either to the Assembly or to the Security Council or to both, as may be appropriate, from time to time;
6. Requests all Member States:
   1. To do everything in their power to help the Special Committee to accomplish its task;
   2. To refrain from any act likely to delay or hinder the implementation of the present resolution;
7. Invites Member States to inform the General Assembly at its eighteenth session regarding actions taken, separately or collectively, in dissuading the Government of South Africa from pursuing its policies of apartheid;
8. Requests the Security Council to take appropriate measures, including sanctions, to secure South Africa's compliance with the resolutions of the General Assembly and of the Security Council on this subject and, if necessary, to consider action under Article 6 of the Charter.

Post script

The President of the General Assembly in pursuance of paragraph 5 of the above resolution, appointed the following members of the Special Committee on the policies of apartheid of the Government of the Republic of South Africa: Algeria, Costa Rica, Federation of Malaya, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Hungary, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines and Somalia⁴.

Footnotes

1. Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventeenth session, Annexes, agenda item 87, document A/5166.
2. Ibid., document A/5173.
3. Official Records of the Security Council, Fifteenth Year, Supplement for April, May and June 1960, document S/4300.
4. See A/5400.