Forty countries reaffirmed their support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces, the Sahara, during a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, according to a statement delivered by Morocco’s ambassador.
Omar Zniber, Morocco’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, presented the declaration on behalf of the group during discussions under Item 2 of the Council’s agenda.
The signatory states stressed that engagement with the Human Rights Council and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights should remain within a cooperative and bilateral framework, free from politicization.
The statement underscored that the Sahara issue remains part of a UN-led political process overseen by the Security Council, which considers Morocco’s autonomy plan under its sovereignty as a credible and serious basis for a lasting solution.
The 40 countries also voiced support for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which calls for the resumption of negotiations between the parties with a view to reaching a mutually acceptable political settlement based on the autonomy proposal.
