Question of Bermuda A/RES/72/98 Recognizing the importance of the conclusions and recommendations adopted by the seminar, which are annexed to the report of the Special Committee 5 and which outline the findings of the seminar, including, especially, the way forward for the decolonization process within the context of the proclamation by the General Assembly of the period 2011–2020 as the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, 6 Noting with appreciation the contribution to the development of some Territories by the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, in particular the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme, as well as regional institutions such as the Caribbean Development Bank, the Caribbean Community, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, the Pacific Islands Forum and the agencies of the Council of Regional Organizations in the Pacific, Recalling the statement made by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as a representative of the Government of Bermuda at the Pacific regional seminar held in Quito from 30 May to 1 June 2012, Taking into account that the Territory last participated in the activities of the Special Committee in 2012, and in this regard stressing the importance of the continued participation of the Territory in order to provide the Committee with up-to-date information regarding the decolonization process, Conscious of the different viewpoints of the political parties on the future status of the Territory, and noting the results of successive surveys by local media, according to which a majority of respondents did not wish to sever ties with the administering Power and a minority was in favour of independence, Recalling the dispatch of the United Nations special mission to Bermuda in 2005, at the request of the territorial Government and with the concurrence of the administering Power, which provided information to the people of the Territory on the role of the United Nations in the process of self-determination, on the legitimate political status options as clearly defined in General Assembly resolution 1541 (XV) and on the experiences of other small States that have achieved a full measure of self government, Noting serious concerns regarding good governance, transparency and accountability in the Territory, including with respect to external election campaign financing originating in a neighbouring country, which led the Premier to resign in May 2014, with a view to maintaining integrity and confidence in the political landscape, Cognizant of the potential usefulness of regional ties for the development of a small island Territory, 1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Bermuda to selfdetermination, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations and with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples; 2. Also reaffirms that, in the process of decolonization of Bermuda, there is no alternative to the principle of self-determination, which is also a fundamental human right, as recognized under the relevant human rights conventions; 3. Further reaffirms that it is ultimately for the people of Bermuda to determine freely their future political status in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter, the Declaration and the relevant resolutions of the General __________________ 5 6 17-22131 Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-second Session, Supplement No. 23 (A/72/23). See resolution 65/119. 3/5