United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a United Nations resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the United Nations Security Council, Security Council (UNSC); the United Nations (UN) body charged with "primary responsibility for the ...
264 was adopted on March 20, 1969, after a
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
Specific examples of general assembly include:
Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
resolution terminated the
mandate of
South West Africa
South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...
(
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
).
In accordance with UNSCR 264, the UN assumed direct responsibility for the territory and declared the continued presence of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in Namibia as illegal, calling upon the Government of South Africa to withdraw immediately.
The Security Council condemned the refusal of South Africa to comply with previous resolutions, declared that South Africa had no right to enact the
South West Africa Affairs Bill and that South African actions were designed to destroy the national unity and territorial integrity of Namibia through the establishment of
Bantustans
A Bantustan (also known as Bantu homeland, black homeland, black state or simply homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party administration of South Africa set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa (n ...
. The Council decided that, in the event of failure on the part of the Government of South Africa to comply with the provisions of the present resolution, it would meet immediately to determine the necessary measures to be taken. It gave the
United Nations Secretary-General
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-ge ...
the responsibility of following up implementation of the resolution, and reporting back to the Security Council.
The resolution passed with 13 votes in favour;
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
abstained.
See also
*
List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 201 to 300 (1965–1971)
*
United Nations Commissioner for Namibia
United Nations Commissioner for South West Africa was a post created by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1966 to assert the UN's direct responsibility for South West Africa which was then under illegal occupation by apartheid South Af ...
*
United Nations Security Council Resolution 435
United Nations Security Council Resolution 435, adopted on September 29, 1978, put forward proposals for a cease-fire and UN-supervised elections in South African-controlled South West Africa which ultimately led to the independence of Namibia. ...
References
Text of the Resolution at undocs.org
External links
*
{{UNSCR 1969
0264
0264
0264
1969 in South Africa
March 1969 events