At least two delegates from Guam are attending: Director of Guam’s Decolonization Commission Ed Alvarez, and University of Guam Professor Dr. Ron McNinch.
The seminar is attended by delegates from seven of the regional groups within the committee, chaired by Francisco Carrion-Mena of Ecuador. One of the two vice-chairs is from Cuba, the other from Sierra Leone. There are only 16 non-self-governing territories on the decolonization list. Three of them, Guam, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are U.S. administered.
McNinch is attending the seminar as an “expert on non-self-governing territories,” and was invited to participate by the U.N. “I would like to make clear that I am not here to represent or advocate positions for the government of Guam in this seminar, nor do I represent or advocate positions for the indigenous people of Guam. My role here is technical from the standpoint of research, and I strive to be objective on these matters,” he said.
