Two non-governmental organizations on Monday welcomed what they described as the historic adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, hailing it as a significant step toward a definitive settlement of the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
Speaking during the general debate of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, representatives of the two NGOs praised Resolution 2797 for consolidating the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as the basis for reaching a final political solution to the long-running conflict.
Addressing the Council on behalf of OCAPROCE International, Saadani Maolainain said the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797 comes at what she described as a crucial juncture in a dispute that has endured for nearly five decades. She stressed that the conflict has caused prolonged hardship and deprivation, particularly for Sahrawi populations living in the Tindouf camps in southwestern Algeria.
Maolainain, identified as a former Sahrawi deportee to Cuba, underscored that Morocco’s autonomy initiative represents, in her view, the only viable, fair and realistic solution capable of ensuring full political, economic and social rights. She argued that the plan provides a framework for comprehensive reconciliation under Moroccan sovereignty and in line with United Nations principles.
The adoption of Resolution 2797, she added, signals renewed international engagement aimed at advancing a political process that would bring lasting stability to the region and address the humanitarian situation of populations affected by the dispute.
Also taking the floor under the agenda item dedicated to the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Gajmoula Boussif emphasized that the effective promotion and protection of human rights require a stable institutional environment that guarantees access to justice and essential public services.
Boussif commended Morocco’s efforts in socio-economic development and highlighted what she described as the Kingdom’s cooperation with the international human rights system. She maintained that a durable and mutually acceptable political settlement would create the necessary conditions for the full enjoyment of fundamental rights by all concerned populations, including those residing in the Tindouf camps.
Resolution 2797, adopted by the Security Council, calls for the continuation of the political process under UN auspices with a view to achieving a realistic, pragmatic and lasting solution to the dispute. Supporters of the text view it as reinforcing momentum toward a negotiated outcome grounded in compromise.
The interventions at the Human Rights Council reflect the ongoing international debate surrounding the future of the region, with civil society actors increasingly linking the political settlement of the dispute to broader questions of human rights protection, development and regional stability.
