Forty countries reaffirm support for Morocco’s full sovereignty over its Sahara during HRC ongoing session

Some forty countries have reaffirmed on Monday their support for Morocco’s full sovereignty over its Sahara during the 58th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC),held until April 4 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

In a statement delivered by Ali Mohamed Saeed Majawar,Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Yemen in Geneva,the group highlighted Morocco’s “constructive,voluntary,and profound” interaction with the United Nations human rights system.

“Morocco has been engaged for many years in constructive,and profound interaction with the United Nations human rights system,in particular the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR),for the promotion and respect of human rights throughout its entire territory,” stated Saeed Majawar in the statement under Item 2 of the session’s agenda.

The Security Council,in its resolutions on the Sahara issue,welcomes the role played by the National and Regional Human Rights Commissions in Dakhla and Laâyoune and the interaction between Morocco and the mechanisms under the special procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council,the statement recalled.

In its statement,the group of supporters welcomed the opening,by many countries,of consulates in the cities of Dakhla and Laâyoune,deeming the move as a “lever for strengthening economic cooperation and investments,for the benefit of local populations as well as regional and continental development.”

“The Sahara issue is a political dispute handled by the Security Council that recognizes the preeminence of the Autonomy Initiative presented by Morocco as credible and serious for a definitive political solution to this regional dispute over the Sahara.”

In this respect,the group reaffirmed its support for the efforts aimed at relaunching the political process on the basis of the format established during the two round tables in Geneva,in accordance with Security Council resolutions,in particular the latest resolution 2756 of October 31st,2024,aimed at achieving a political,realistic,pragmatic,lasting,and compromise-based solution to this regional dispute.

“The resolution of this regional dispute will contribute to achieving the legitimate aspirations of the African and Arab peoples in terms of integration and development,which is considered an objective that Morocco continues to pursue and for which it makes earnest and ongoing efforts,” the Yemeni diplomat pointed out.