IFOR speaks at the UN on the fundamental rights of the people of Western Sahara

During the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation took the floor in the plenary of the Council to address the issue of the violations of fundamental rights in Western Sahara.

In particular, IFOR referred to the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara and to the military occupation by the Kingdom of Morocco and consequent lasting violation of human rights in the region.

---

Mr. President,
With reference to the report on the Conclusions and Recommendations of the Special Procedures (A/HRC/49/26), IFOR would like to highlight the importance of the seven themes that have been recurring in the reports presented by the Special Procedures during the year 2021.
Among these, we pay particular attention to the Prevention of human rights violations, security and peace building, as well as to new technologies in the context of the illegal military occupation of the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara by the Kingdom of Morocco.
There can be no peace in Western Sahara without respect for the fundamental rights of peoples, starting with the right to self-determination, enshrined in General Assembly resolution 1514 on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples and reaffirmed by the International Court of Justice in its 1975 Advisory Opinion.
IFOR calls on the Council to implement without delay operational paragraph 5 of General Assembly resolution 76/152 and to pay particular attention to the violation of the right to self-determination resulting from the aggression and military occupation of Western Sahara by the Kingdom of Morocco.

Click here to read the original statement in French

Learn more about the Western Sahara case.

IFOR joins statement at the UN on Western Sahara

On the occasion of the opening debate of the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, which took place in Geneva on March 8th, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation joined a statement delivered by the American Association of Jurists, on behalf of the NGOs Geneva Support Group for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Western Sahara.

---

Item 2 – Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights General debate 

I thank you, 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of a group of more than 300 organisations (www.genevaforwesternsahara.org); including the Sahrawi National Commission of Human  Rights. 

We express our deepest concern about the continuing systematic and serious violations of human  rights and International Humanitarian Law norms committed by the Kingdom of Morocco in the  occupied Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara. 

The illegal plundering of the Saharawi natural resources continues with the support in particular  of the member countries of the European Union, in violation of the decisions of the Court of  Justice of the European Union. 

Sahrawi human rights defenders, journalists and political prisoners are subjected to harassment,  threats, arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment, torture, sexual violence. Peaceful manifestations in the  Occupied Western Sahara are violently repressed. The use of drones has caused the death of civilians of different nationalities. 

The inexplicable silence observed by the Office of the High Commissioner regrettably supports  the persistent impunity enjoyed by the Kingdom of Morocco for the crimes committed in the  Occupied Western Sahara. 

I thank you for your attention. 

****** 

Point 2 – Rapport annuel du Haut-Commissaire des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme Débat général 

Je vous remercie, 

J'ai l'honneur de parler au nom d'un groupe de plus de 300 organisations  (www.genevaforwesternsahara.org) ; y compris la Commission Nationale Sahraouie des Droits  de l'Homme. 

Nous exprimons notre plus vive préoccupation quant aux violations systématiques et graves des  droits de l'homme et des normes du Droit International Humanitaire commises par le Royaume  du Maroc dans le Territoire Non Autonome occupé du Sahara Occidental. 

Le pillage illégal des ressources naturelles du peuple Sahraoui continue avec le soutien en  particulier des pays membres de l’Union européenne, en violation des décisions de la Cour de  Justice de l’Union européenne. 

Les défenseurs des droits de l'homme, les journalistes et les prisonniers politiques sahraouis sont  soumis au harcèlement, aux menaces, aux arrestations arbitraires, aux mauvais traitements, à la  torture, aux violences sexuelles. Les manifestations pacifiques au Sahara occidental occupé sont  violemment réprimées. L’utilisation de drones a causé la mort de civils de différentes  nationalités. 

L’inexplicable silence observé par le Haut-Commissariat vient malheureusement conforter  l'impunité persistante dont jouit le Royaume du Maroc pour les crimes commis au Sahara  Occidental occupé.

Je vous remercie pour votre attention.  

****** 

Tema 2 – Informe anual del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos  Humanos 

Debate general 

Muchas gracias, 

Tengo el honor de hablar en nombre de un grupo de más de 300 organizaciones  (www.genevaforwesternsahara.org); incluida la Comisión Nacional Saharaui de Derechos  Humanos. 

Expresamos nuestra más profunda preocupación por las sistemáticas y graves violaciones de los  derechos humanos y de las normas del Derecho Internacional Humanitario cometidas por el  Reino de Marruecos en el Territorio No Autónomo ocupado del Sahara Occidental. 

El saqueo ilegal de los recursos naturales del pueblo saharaui continúa con el apoyo en particular  de los países miembros de la Unión Europea, en violación de las decisiones del Tribunal de  Justicia de la Unión Europea. 

Los defensores de los derechos humanos, los periodistas y los presos políticos saharauis son  objeto de acoso, amenazas, detenciones arbitrarias, malos tratos, tortura, violencia sexual. Las  manifestaciones pacíficas en el Sáhara Occidental ocupado son reprimidas con violencia. El uso  de drones ha causado la muerte de civiles de diferentes nacionalidades. 

El inexplicable silencio observado por la Oficina del Alto Comisionado lamentablemente  respalda la persistente impunidad de la que goza el Reino de Marruecos por los crímenes  cometidos en el Sáhara Occidental Ocupado. 

Les agradezco su atención. 

*****

---

Click here to read the complete text of the statement.

---

Western Sahara case

1963                 Western Sahara was integrated to the list of Non Self-Governing Territories (NSGT) by the Special Committee on decolonization (C24), the proposal was endorsed by the UN General Assembly (resolution 1956).

1966                 Adoption of resolution 2229 by the UN General Assembly, which invited the Administering Power (Spain) to determine at the earliest possible date the procedures for the holding of a referendum with a view to enabling the indigenous population of the Territory to exercise freely its right to self-determination; Spain failed in its mandate as Administering Power and never organized the referendum.

6 Nov. 1975       the International Court of Justice (ICJ) released its Advisory opinion requested by the UN General Assembly on the legal status of Western Sahara: the Court asserted that the materials and information presented to it do not establish any tie of territorial sovereignty between the territory of Western Sahara and the Kingdom of Morocco. Thus the Court has not found legal ties of such a nature as might affect the application of resolution 1514 (XV) in the decolonization of Western Sahara and, in particular, of the principle of self-determination through the free and genuine expression of the will of the peoples of the Territory.

                        Hassan II launched the military invasion of Western Sahara, followed by thousands of civilians (Green March).

                        Adoption of resolution 380 by the UN Security Council, which called upon Morocco immediately to withdrawn from the Territory of Western Sahara all the participants in the march.

NOTE: From then on, Western Sahara became (and still is today) the only NSGT which is under foreign illegal military occupation.

26 Febr. 1976     Spain informed the UN Secretary General that as of that date it had terminated its presence in Western Sahara and relinquished its responsibility over the Territory.

NOTE: From then on, Western Sahara became (and still is today) the only NSGT which has not an internationally recognised Administering Power: de jure, Spain should still be considered as the Administering Power, de facto, the UN has the primary responsibility over the Territory.

1979                 Mauritania signed a peace agreement with the Polisario Front and withdrew from the Territory.

                        Adoption of resolution 34/37 by the UN General Assembly, which deeply deplored the aggravation of the situation resulting from the continued occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and the extension of that occupation to the territory evacuated by Mauritania. The General Assembly also recognized the Polisario Front as the representative of the people of Western Sahara.

1980                 Adoption of resolution 35/19 by the UN General Assembly, which declared that it was deeply concerned at the aggravation of the situation deriving from the continued occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and reiterated the appeal to Morocco to terminate the occupation of Western Sahara.

. . . continue reading about Western Sahara case, and recent developments, in English, Spanish and French on the website of the Geneva Support Group

IFOR STATEMENT ON THE U.S. RECOGNITION OF MOROCCAN SOVEREIGNTY OVER WESTERN SAHARA

On this day, December 14th 2020, which marks the 60th anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independ-ence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, 1 IFOR is issuing a statement on the recent developments regarding the con-flict in Western Sahara.

STATEMENT ON THE U.S. RECOGNITION OF MOROCCAN SOVEREIGNTY OVER WESTERN SAHARA

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) was founded over 100 years ago, and at the heart of the fellowship is the steadfast belief in multilateralism as a way to engage within the international community.

On December 10th, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation stating that the United States will recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. 2 A departure from decades of U.S. policy, the move follows last month’s breakdown of the nearly 30-year ceasefire between Morocco and Western Sahara and the resumption of hostilities.

In 1991, the United Nations and the international community made a promise to the Saharawi people that a referendum would be organized, and that they freely and fairly would get to decide their own fate. 30 years later, that promise remains unfulfilled. Neither renewed fighting nor unilateral moves that disregard interna-tional law absolves the international community of this promise. On the contrary, it highlights the urgency of finally implementing the right to self-determination. Saharawi organizations have long sounded the alarm about the consequences of continued inaction and the eroding trust in the international community that fol-lows. 3

The initial reactions to the U.S. Administration’s announcement have been somewhat encouraging, with many countries denouncing the move. IFOR calls on all UN Member States to also act collectively in demonstrating their commitment to abide by international law and to be accountable for the implementation of funda-mental rights. In 2017, following the Trump administration’s announcement that the U.S. would recognize Je-rusalem as the capital of Israel – another example of unilateral action that disregarded international law– the UN General Assembly held an emergency special session and decisively backed a resolution that rejected the move. 4 Such action is again appropriate and necessary to reaffirm the primacy of international law.

With the current administration on its way out, it is also imperative that the new leadership in the U.S. act. IFOR urges President-Elect Biden to, immediately upon taking office, reverse the Trump administration’s de-cision and reaffirm the principles of international law, as the foundation for settling international conflicts, and multilateralism to strengthen international cooperation.

Further, IFOR calls once more for the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to immediately appoint a new UN Personal Envoy for Western Sahara 5. The vacancy at this position, and the continued wait of a credible path to a peaceful resolution, leaves the door open for the kind of negative developments seen in the last month.

---

1 General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/Independence.aspx

2 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-recognizing-sovereignty-kingdom-morocco-western-sahara/

3 Open Letter to the UN Secretary General on the 45th Anniversary of the Western Sahara Conflict, released on November 14th by NOVA, a local nonviolent Saharawi youth organization. 4 General Assembly resolution 11995 of 21 December 2017, adopted at the 10th Emergency Special Session.

5 IFOR Statement on the current situation in Western Sahara, released on November 13th 2020. http://www.ifor.org/news/2020/11/13/ifor-statement-on-the-current-situation-in-western-sahara

You can download the statement by clicking here.