Honorable Members of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization,

Who is Impacted?
My name is Keoni Wiliama Kaloi, and I am a Native Hawaiian. My ancestors were part of a sovereign kingdom, internationally recognized before 1893. Today, my people live under an occupation that has led to the displacement, economic marginalization, and cultural suppression of Native Hawaiians. The U.S. government illegally took our land, making Hawaiians a landless people in our own homeland. We are forced to watch sacred places destroyed for military bases, hotels, and corporate interests, while Hawaiians struggle with poverty, high cost of living, and land dispossession. The U.S. continues to act as if Hawaiʻi is legally part of the United States, even though Hawaiians never agreed to this, and no lawful treaty of annexation exists.

What is at Stake?
If the status quo continues, Native Hawaiians will lose even more land, culture, and self-determination. Already, the Hawaiian language was nearly lost due to colonial policies, and Native Hawaiians have been pushed out of our homeland because of economic conditions created by U.S. control. The U.S. military occupies vast portions of Hawaiian land, and the government continues to sell and lease stolen lands without the consent of Native Hawaiians. The longer this occupation continues, the more our identity, rights, and sovereignty slip away. If the UN fails to recognize Hawaiʻi’s situation, the injustice will persist, and the Hawaiian people will remain a colonized nation, erased by foreign control.

Why is Now the Time to Act?
The United Nations has successfully helped decolonize other nations, including many in the Pacific. The case of Hawaiʻi must be addressed before it is too late. Hawaiians are resisting, organizing, and demanding justice—yet the U.S. government refuses to acknowledge the illegality of its occupation. Now is the time for the UN to act. We ask that Hawaiʻi be placed on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories and that a full investigation be launched into the ongoing U.S. occupation of our lands. If the UN upholds its commitment to self-determination and decolonization, then it must take action for Hawaiʻi, just as it has for other nations under colonial rule.

The Hawaiian Kingdom was never lawfully annexed. The people of Hawaiʻi deserve the right to determine their own future, free from illegal occupation and exploitation.

I urge the UN Special Committee on Decolonization to recognize Hawaiʻi’s sovereignty and hold the U.S. accountable.

Respectfully submitted,

Keoni Wiliama Kaloi