Question of American Samoa A/RES/73/108 Committee in Saint George’s and hosted by the Government of Grenada from 9 to 11 May 2018, as a significant and forward-looking event, which enabled the participants to assess progress made and address challenges faced in the decolonization process, review the existing working methods of the Committee and renew its commitment to implementing its historic task, 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 Caribbe an, 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 Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, the Pacific Islands Forum and the agencies of the Council of Regional Organizations in the Pacific, Noting the statement made by a representative of the Governor of American Samoa at the 2018 Pacific regional seminar, 7 Noting also the statement made by a representative of the Governor of American Samoa at the 2018 Pacific regional seminar, in which he expressed his view that the people of American Samoa were happy with the relationship with the administering Power, which could be described as strong and healthy as well as beneficial to the people and the Government of the Territory, and that the most important benefit to American Samoa had been the protection of its indigenous rights to the land as provided for in the Deeds of Cession, Noting further the statement made by a representative of the Governor of American Samoa at the 2018 Pacific regional seminar that the political status of American Samoa as an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the administering Power limited its ability to self-government and exposed it to decisions made by the administering Power, Noting the statement by the representative that, while certain aspects of the form of government of the Territory and its relationship with the administering P ower were challenging and in need of improvement, the solutions could be found within the confines of the political and judicial systems of the administering Power and that the territorial Government was pursuing legal actions to counteract the impact of unfavourable federal actions and sought the international community’s tacit support, Noting also the information provided by the representative that the Government of American Samoa intended to pursue additional funding from the administering Power to maintain and expand the work of the Office of Political Status, Constitutional Review and Federal Relations, Aware of the work of the Future Political Status Study Commission, completed in 2006, the release of its report, with recommendations, in January 200 7 and the __________________ 5 6 7 18-21460 Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-third Session, Supplement No. 23 (A/73/23). See resolution 65/119. Available at www.un.org/en/decolonization/regsem2018.shtml. 3/5