Self-determination of peoples and sovereignty over natural wealth and resources

Abstract

This chapter addresses the interrelationship between resource sovereignty, self-determination and the right to development, as defined in the Declaration on the Right to Development. After discussing the genesis of sovereignty over natural resources as a principle of international law, reference will be made to the development-related articles in the Charter of the United Nations and the evolution of the principles of self-determination and resource sovereignty in the United Nations, devoting particular attention to the General Assembly resolution 1803 (XVII) of 14 December 1962 entitled “Permanent sovereignty over natural resources” (hereafter “Declaration on Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources”) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the General Assembly in 2007 and annexed to its resolution 61/295. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the pertinence of self-determination and resource sovereignty