Fourth Committee, 4th plenary meeting - General Assembly, 80th session

I call to order the fourth meeting of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. Before we continue, I wish to remind delegations that the deadline for the presentation of proposals on issues related to decolonization and on the eradicating of colonialism in all its forms and manifestations is today at 6 p.m. 1800 hours. Furthermore, I wish to remind all speakers of the needs to uphold decorum. I emphasize that the petitioners will be given the floor to provide information through their statements alone. So in the room, we can have no flags or banners, please. I would also ask you to please refrain from speaking on issues that are not to do with the territory that we're dealing with and the topic we're dealing with. I will and then I will give the floor to the next speaker. I also ask speakers to please not speak for longer than three minutes and to pay attention to your microphone light that will start to flash when you have one minute left to finish your intervention. Those who are making statements are reminded to please speak at a reasonable pace so that the interpretation services can follow and do an adequate job. Petitioners may submit their statements online in order to help the interpreters. As we said at the end of yesterday's session, the committee will hear first from the delegations that have requested the floor in relation to the issue of New Caledonia yesterday. I give the floor now first to the distinguished delegation of Papua New Guinea. You have five minutes, three minutes, please.

Mr. Chair, Excellencies, and distinguished delegates, at the outset, let me, on my delegation's behalf, join other delegations in congratulating you and the respective Bureau members for your mandate. We pledge our constructive support to your successful leadership of our collective work. Mr. Chair, this year, as we mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of this United Nations and the fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, we must all be reminded that though the UN is 80 years old, many of the remaining 17 non-self-governing territories have been under the yoke of colonialism for more than 80 years and deserve better. This long-standing agenda continues to be a blight on the UN and needs to be brought to an end. We believe that there is room for enhanced cooperation and dialogue for all concerned parties, and we must find a better way forward in addressing this important agenda. Mr. Chair, on the question of New Caledonia's self-determination, firstly, I align my delegation with the remarks on this agenda made yesterday by the distinguished representative of Fiji, on behalf of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, which we are a member. Secondly, we welcome all participants from New Caledonia to this meeting and take careful note of their respective statements. This needs to be adequately accounted for in this committee's report and the work ahead of us. Papua New Guinea reaffirms our enduring commitment and support on New Caledonia's self-determination, consistent with the UN decolonization agenda and guided by the Noumea Accord and the wishes of all New Caledonians. Mr. Chair, Papua New Guinea takes note and is encouraged by the recent dialogue in July on the Bougainville Accord, which is to serve as New Caledonia's self-determination roadmap as we understand it. We recognize the collective efforts of all New Caledonians and the government of France to find a lasting political solution to the question of New Caledonia, following the tragic circumstances of last year. Papua New Guinea encourages and supports this peaceful dialogue and process and calls for continued inclusive engagement among all stakeholders beside the future political status of New Caledonia. It is our view that the self-determination decision ultimately and solely rests with the people of New Caledonia. Mr. Chair, another important point my delegation would underscore is the importance of ensuring that the agreed UN mission to New Caledonia takes place at an appropriate time and urges for adequate funding to enable it. We also recognize the commendable level of UN missions to New Caledonia as NSGT over the last decade, in 2014, in 2018, and the pending visit. We thank the administering power, France, the people and the government of New

Caledonia, and the C24. I thank the distinguished delegation of Papua New Guinea. And I give the floor now to the distinguished delegation of Vanuatu. It seems that the delegation of Vanuatu is not here in the room. They had requested the floor yesterday afternoon, however, they're not here this afternoon. So we will now continue with our agenda for this afternoon. As to the Turks and Caicos Islands, we have been informed that the petitioner signed up is not going to be able to address the committee, so we will move now to the issue of the United States Virgin Islands. There is one petitioner, and I'm calling them Just to make sure that they are not in the room because they didn't get to take the floor, I invite Harry Bin Damoses then to take the floor, please. They are not in the room. We'll move now to the issue of Western Sahara, and we will hear from the petitioners. who will be speaking on this matter. Each petitioner will have three minutes to take the floor. I invite Ms. Leila Dahi. Ms. Leila Dahi, you have the floor.

Thank you. Thank you, Chairman. I have the honor of addressing the room as a parliamentarian from Moroccan Sahara I was elected by our citizens through free and transparent elections through which they expressed their free will to choose a representative with some of the highest participation we've had nationally 63.94% the legitimacy of our representation including me and dozens of representatives of Western Sahara, the expression of democracy through elections that took place on our territory, which is the case of the different parts of the Kingdom. And there was honest competitiveness from the different candidates of the different national parties and observers from the international community that certified the electoral process throughout all of its different phases. This underscores the legitimacy of these elections. My colleagues and myself won our legitimacy based on the free will and electoral bodies that at electoral bodies that represent citizens, we bring forward the voices of citizens, local councils implement the constitution in terms of decisions made locally and when it comes to development policies fully in line with the democratic principles of the Moroccan constitution. It's the same elected councils who have addressed the implementation of the new development model of the southern provinces launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in 2015, costing $10 billion. Today, this has been brought into tangible reality with roads, modern hospitals, well-developed universities, and promising infrastructure projects. Chairman, our legitimacy is based on the ballot box that make participation a symbol of democracy and a foundation for the peaceful handing over of power. While those that claim to represent the Sahrawi people are no more and no less than people from Mauritania, Mali, Niger and the south of Algeria, constituting a fictitious entity that was born in dictatorship without any type of legitimacy, to be supported later by a military regime who is using silence, silencing people and using people to exploit the region. They have nothing to do with freedom or self-determination.

Thank you.

I now invite Mr. Sivi Mohamed Omar to take the floor.

Mr. Chair, distinguished representatives of Member States, I am pleased to address again the Fourth Committee on behalf of the Frente Polisario, the sole and legitimate representative of the people of Western Sahara, in

accordance with relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council.

Today, the Fourth Committee convenes again to address the question of Western Sahara, the last decolonization case in Africa on the agenda of this organization since 1963.

This month marks 50 years of Morocco's illegal occupation of Western Sahara,

which was deplored by the Security Council in 1975 and by the General Assembly in 1979, among other things.

It's been 50 years of brutal occupation and oppression, but also 50 years of struggle, resistance, and above all, a strong determination by our people to defend our freedom and independence, for which we have paid so dearly. Unable to learn from the past 50 years, Morocco, the occupying state, persists in its misguided belief

that it can forcibly impose the fait accompli on our people.

It is trying to promote its colonial proposal

which is nothing but a travesty whose aim is to legitimize the illegal occupation of our land.

Let's be very clear.

There is no peace nor justice under brutal occupation rooted in oppression, tyranny, and terror.

It is time to call a spade a spade and act accordingly.

Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara is illegal, and it must end immediately.

As the Secretary-General said in his address to the General Assembly this year, these

The United Nations is more than a meeting place. It's a moral compass, a force for peace, and a guardian of international law.

The United Nations must live up to its

responsibilities regarding Western Sahara and enable our people to exercise freely and democratically our inalienable right to self-determination and independence. Our people have made tremendous sacrifices for achieving lasting peace. Today, Their message to you, Member States, is very clear. We will never, never give up our inalienable rights, and we will continue to defend our national aspirations for freedom and independence by all legitimate means.

I thank you for your attention.

I thank Mr. Sidi Mohamed Omar of the Polisario Front. I now invite Mr. Jose Leonardo Botero Martinez to take the floor.

A very good afternoon. I'm speaking on behalf of the Santo Tomas University of Colombia to this committee. It's this year the 50th anniversary of the illegal occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco. This is a situation that constitutes one of the last and most obvious expressions of decolonization in the world. The plan signed up to between Morocco and the Polisario Front contemplated the organization of a self-determination referendum with the creation of MINURSO in order to guarantee this right. However, 34 years since then, this mandate has not been complied with. Today, Morocco is seeking to disregard the issue of Western Sahara being a non-autonomous territory, a non-self-governing territory, defending the thesis that decolonization is the only solution possible. This contradicts resolution 1514 of this Assembly that establishes that all peoples have the right to self-determination. Autonomy is not the same as self-determination. It's a formula that historically has been imposed by colonial powers in order to perpetuate the domination and exploitation of territories and peoples. I wish to underscore before this committee that the Polisario fault Polisario front is the only legitimate representative of the sari people this has been recognized by the General Assembly and by the African Union it is with the Polisario front not with actors imposed on them that a fair and definitive solution must be negotiated based on the above I call upon this Assembly to adopt three concrete actions: 1. To unequivocally reaffirm the fact that the decolonization process of Western Sahara will only be able to be resolved by way of a self-determination referendum, excluding autonomy as a final solution. 2. Urge the Security Council and MINURSO to apply a clear and binding deadline for the holding of said referendum. avoiding more delays; three, to demand an immediate halt to the exploitation of the natural resources of the territory, because they are the exclusive property of the Sahrawi people under international law. The world cannot allow half a century of occupation being considered as an accepted norm. The international community must act decisively in order to ensure that the Sahrawi people are able to fully exercise their right to freedom and independence. Thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner and invite Mr. Robert Monsoni Gomez to take the floor.

Thank you, Chair, distinguished delegates. Moroccan Sahara is an historic, legal and human reality that is currently obvious. The inhabitants there elect their representatives in free and transparent elections endorsed by international observers. And they benefit from the dynamic socioeconomic progress of the region, which reflects the legitimacy of the sovereign rights of Morocco. When it comes to security, Morocco has turned the region into an area of stability. Since 2015, its Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations has dismantled dozens of terrorist units and has detained many terrorists and jihadists. Thanks to this vigilance, the Kingdom of Morocco is the only country in North Africa that has not suffered from any type of terrorist attack for more than a decade. In one city in the south, there hasn't been a single terrorist attack during this territory, during this period rather. There's also close international cooperation when it comes to intelligence and the fight against terrorism. The creation of specialized intelligence and prevention centers has enabled Morocco to anticipate threats and to ensure effective and lasting protection for the population of Moroccan Sahara. At the same time, the Kingdom has brought in an innovative development model for the southern provinces with the investment of $8 billion since 2015. This plan for the whole region seeks to provide strategic infrastructure such as the new motorway and the new Atlantic port of Guechla. These emblematic projects are boosting the local economic growth and connecting Moroccan Sahara with regional and international markets. The autonomy plan proposed for Moroccan Sahara represents a realistic consensus-based political solution. This guarantees respect for the unique social and cultural characteristics of the region and at the same time ensures the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Morocco. in compliance with relevant UN resolutions. Morocco's approach, which is based on sovereignty, security and shared development, provides a viable solution that is beneficial to all. It is essential and urgent for the international community to support the efforts of the Kingdom of Morocco to benefit security and stability. I invite the international community to decisively support the Moroccan autonomy plan to deliver prosperity and security of Moroccan Sahara, to benefit the whole of the Maghreb region, and to help to boost global stability. Thank you for your kind attention.

I thank the petitioners as the chair, and I now invite Ms. Vanessa Ramos to take the floor.

Chairman, delegations, Western Sahara is a case of decolonization and the illegal occupation by the Kingdom of Morocco. The Sahrawi people have the inalienable right to self-determination and independence pursuant to resolution 1514/15. It is a non-self-governing territory that has de facto authority while Spain de jure maintains a colonialist position that is incompatible with resolution 1514/15. Western Sahara is not part of Morocco, and there is no right to exploit its resources without the consent of the Sahrawi people, who have expressed through their only legitimate representative this will through the Polisario Front. The agreement between the EU and the Kingdom of Morocco has no validity. No occupying power should be able to benefit from an illegal occupation or the exploitation and plunder of the natural resources of a colonised people. We call for the Sahrawi political prisoners to be freed, including the NEZ group. We call for an observer mission to be sent to Western Sahara with experts from the UN OHCHR. And we call on the Security Council to reject any resolution on Western Sahara that does not include expressly the option of independence under resolution 1514/15. We hope that the United Nations and the Secretary General will implement the resolutions on the carrying out of a self-determination referendum. We reiterate our appeal to the High Commissioner for Human Rights to send an observer mission to Western Sahara and to the Human Rights Council to create a mandate of a special rapporteur to investigate the human rights situation in the territory and the Special Decolonisation Committee to organise a visit to Western Sahara. This is the only way that the decolonization of the territory will be achieved and that peace and development in the region will be guaranteed. The struggle of the Saree people is something that must not be disconnected from the struggle of the Palestinian people and the people of Puerto Rico. I express my regards of solidarity from Puerto Rico to the Saree people.

The chair thanks the petitioner and now invites Mr. Paudovices Moragues to address the committee.

Gentlemen, we are living in dangerous times. The multiple crises that threaten the well-being of all peoples and nations on Earth call for a coordinated effort of states and international organizations based on implementation and development of international law. Yet, we are currently witnessing the most direct and serious attempts to undermine and dismantle it since the creation of the United Nations. It is therefore of the utmost necessity to protect and promote international norms and principles that are so heavily under threat, because they are essential to achieve the very objectives of the United Nations to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and to ensure the dignity and worth of the human person. Today, 80 years after the adoption of the UN Charter that establishes the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, as well as the prohibition of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. 65 years after the adoption of resolutions 1514 and 1541. Almost 60 years after the adoption of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which both set forth the right of all peoples to self-determination. 50 years after the ICJ issued its advisory opinion on Western Sahara that concluded that the information presented to it do not establish any tie of territorial sovereignty between the territory of Western Sahara and the Kingdom of Morocco. And 50 years after the unlawful military occupation of Western Sahara by the Kingdom of Morocco, it is past time the people of Western Sahara are allowed to realize their unalienable human right to self-determination. Spain, as the administering power, should take all necessary steps to ensure the people of Western Sahara can promptly and freely exercise their right to self-determination. and should abstain from taking any action that would hinder the exercise of this right. Morocco, as the occupying power, does not have any right to negotiate or conclude international agreements on behalf of the people of Western Sahara or regarding its territory or natural resources, and should immediately leave the occupied territories. Since 1975, Morocco has committed and is still committing several international wrongful acts from which derive international responsibility. Hence, it is obliged to stop violating these norms, including by immediately withdrawing all military and civilian presence in the territory, and to comply with appropriate reparations towards the people of Western Sahara. Moreover, since many of the international norms violated are of jus cogens nature and have erga omnes effects, all other States have to abstain from recognizing this unlawful situation should abstain from assisting Morocco in these violations and must take all necessary measures to ensure the end of those international wrongful acts. Should those states not abide by these obligations, they would also be responsible for international wrongful acts. Those are crucial times. If we don't stand by international law, we'll find ourselves deprived of the peace, freedom, and human rights that are its ultimate purpose. Thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Mr. Mohamed Siah Javaria to take the floor and address the committee.

Mr. Chair, head of the Decolonization Committee. representatives of Member States and civil society. The Greater Sahara and the African Sahara is an unstable area. There are regional and ethnic conflicts with an increase of the danger of organized crime and terrorism. The separatist movement in the Tindouf camps are side by side with Daesh and Al-Qaeda, these terrorist groups that commit criminal acts to finance their activities. There is a complementary relationship between the separatist movement and terrorists and organized crime networks in these regions. They are out of the state's control in this region there are common interests. Terrorist groups benefit from the resources of organized crime in terms of funds and weapons. Separatist movements use the weakness of borders and the strategies that they are for implementing their political agenda. This is true for the Sahara. So the Polisario Front given the difficult living conditions in the Tindouf camps. Well, these difficult conditions really raise the question of the ability for all of these people's ability to separate themselves from this security situation and the extent to which separatist groups benefit from this situation. So from this standpoint, I wish to talk about the following: there's the geographical position, the Tindouf region and the area under control of the Polisario Front in the west of Algeria. they are key trafficking routes in Africa for all different forms of trafficking despite United Nations reports. They don't directly accuse the Polisario Front, but they do affirm that criminal terrorist networks do use porous open borders and large areas that are not under central control. They tap into these. Secondly, there's the danger of recruiting young people into extremism. There are tens of thousands of Saharis and African migrants, which creates a propitious environment for tapping into young people's despair as they are unemployed, members of the Polisario Front, have joined terrorist groups, furthermore, and this raises the question of the Polisario Front's ability to control its own members and to prevent people from joining these groups.

I ask speakers to please speak at a reasonable speed so that interpreters can follow, please, and do the best job possible. I now invite address the committee, Mr. Jose Israel Herrera.

Distinguished committee, ladies and gentlemen, for decades the international community has sought to find a just, realistic and lasting solution to the matter of Moroccan Sahara. In this context, the autonomy plan presented by the Kingdom of Morocco in 2017 has been delivered as the most credible and viable solution. This provides the local population with the ability to deal with local issues. In other words, it articulates the best of international law in force and balances it with legitimate local aspirations. In contrast, some actors have promoted the idea of constituting a new state in the region. This proposal lacks credibility and is politically and legally inviable. The United Nations in articles one and two, alongside resolution 2625, clearly established that the principle of self-determination cannot be interpreted as authorization to fragment sovereignty or to dismember a recognized state. What's more, this position would perpetuate the undermining of fundamental rights, keeping thousands of people confined to camps, and even worse than this, enabling armed groups or criminal networks to recruit and exploit children and teenagers. We cannot allow a small, select group of rogue actors to engage in political romanticism and to distort the discourse and prolong the human suffering, blocking the road to peace. Maintaining the status quo only benefits those who have turned the conflict into a business. That is why we affirm the fact that autonomy is not just yet another political option, but the one that is most coherent with international law and to the most fundamental principles of the United Nations, and with the hope of thousands of people who deserve to live in freedom and dignity. Now is the time for the Fourth Committee to back this plan. Thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Ms. Marine Harte to address the Committee.

Your Excellency, Chairman of the Fourth Committee, distinguished members and guests. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the destabilization of the Western Sahara region, I address this fourth committee on the urgency of determining the number of residents living in the Tindouf camps. This action could help reduce instability created by actors who exploit people sequestered in the camps for their own benefit. I say this in light of the report issued by the World Food Program on July 3, 2023. The World Food Program encountered difficulties in distributing food in the Tindouf camps and hired an independent team to investigate why much of the aid never reached those for whom it was intended, the most vulnerable of the camp population. I quote from the report, "In this regard, the WFP stresses the need to update information on food aid in the Tindouf camps in light of this new situation and to strengthen advocacy for the registration of this population by the UNHCR. Registration is a key tool for protection, needs assessment, and solutions. Yet, to this day, the Polisario leadership in the camps has refused to provide an accurate headcount of the people supposedly under their control, showing no intention of honoring the WFP's wishes or recognizing how such a step would contribute to resolving the conflict over Western Sahara. They continue a path that serves their own demands, disregarding the progress that could be made by taking even the smallest step towards resolution. The most practical approach to peace is first to analyze the numbers. There should be no need for organizations like the WFP and the EU to guess how many people they must feed. The UN oversees the camps and is well within its rights to know the exact number of those for whom it is responsible. Those who deal with statistics as a means of problem solving would consider it the first order of operation. The UN has allowed conflicting information to persist by failing to produce a headcount. It's easy to see why there has been no permanent solution. This issue is one of bureaucracy that refuses to be transparent and accurate in conducting a census. I find this confusing, deceptive, and unprofessional at the very least. My final point is how the camp leadership can adequately assess the need for medical supplies, especially during an emergency. Another concern is the lack of data on students in camp schools. ACAPS Global Risk Analysis published a report in March, 2021, addressing my concerns regarding insufficient data. For the sake of those who lived in the camps for 50 years, I sincerely believe it is in their best interest to accept the Moroccan autonomy plan as the most credible and reliable solution in their dilemma. Thank you for allowing me to share my observation on this issue.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Ms. Anit Patino Ishigami to address the committee.

I'm before you today to speak on the matter of the land of the northwest coast of Africa, which remains one of the last unresolved colonial struggles of our time, Western Sahara. As a US citizen, I stand by my comrades to address the rights of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and enduring promise of decolonization. For nearly five decades, the people of Western Sahara have waited for the international community to fulfill the promise of determining their own political future. Following Spain's withdrawal in 1975, the International Court of Justice rejected Morocco's claims of territorial sovereignty over Western Sahara. Despite this claim, Morocco invaded and annexed the territory, forcing thousands of Sahrawis into exile and refugee camps around Algeria. Since Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara, the Polisario Front has been fighting and demanding what international law guarantees them, a right to determine their own future. In retaliation against these freedom fighters, Morocco built a 1,240-mile long earthen barrier full of explosives, thus endangering the innocent lives of many Sahrawis and making them unable to leave or enter at their own free will. In 1991, the United States established the United States Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, MINURSO, which was scheduled to take place in 1992 but has yet to occur nearly 35 years later. As time passes, the United Nations continues to classify Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory. In 2020, under the Abraham Accords, the United States decided to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. This move threatened decades of international consensus and created a true impasse between the Polisario front in Morocco to resolve any tension and push for a referendum. As one of the strongest militant powers in the world, the United States consistently proves to do things in favor of itself rather than what is best for the people of the land. The United States must stop abusing its power to unilaterally write its own international law and continue letting countries like Morocco determine the future of a land it does not belong to. This policy cannot be continued as it undermines the United Nations and its efforts in creating a peace plan. It is important to call upon Morocco as the occupier of Western Sahara to remove itself and provide a free chance to the people of Western Sahara. However, it is also important to call upon the United States, which gave Morocco the freedom and will to occupy the land. Therefore, the United States must revoke its recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and demand a free and fair referendum. The people of Western Sahara have suffered long enough after decades of occupation and colonization. The Sahrawi people deserve a chance to determine for themselves the rights of their own future and who they deem to be in power over the land. Thank you.

I thank the petitioner. I'd just like to remind speakers to please speak at a reasonable pace so that the interpreters can do the best job possible. Since I have the floor, I'd also like to remind speakers of the need to maintain decorum when speaking and to please refrain from discussing territories or situations that are not part of the 17 non-self-governing territories on the agenda of the Commission committee rather I give the floor to miss Nick amarma.

Distinguished members of the fourth committee dear delegates I am the president of a University in Japan. My specialist is Maghrebin politics. It is my great honor to serve as an international observer in the parliamentary elections in Morocco. Frequently, I'd like to share some thoughts about the legitimate representation of the Sahari population in Western Sahara. The key challenge here is to distinguish between the ideological claims and real desire for representation based on democratic recognized principles in international law. Legitimacy is expressed through three main channels: free elections that Morocco has progressively consolidated according to international standards, the referenda that has been long-awaited but abandoned by the UN because of an absence of a transparent and credible census, constitutional institutions, and internationally recognized ones that provide a legal framework through which a population expresses its will. The Security Council has never acknowledged the specific representation of the Saharis. It is constantly rather called for a political solution that is negotiated. guaranteeing self-determination. The legitimacy of Morocco is based on the Madrid agreements on the consistency of Security Council resolutions as well on broad international support for the autonomy initiative and on the effective participation of the Saharis in transparent elections. As an observer in Dakhla and in other towns, I personally noted significant electoral turnout, transparent procedures, and remarkable involvement of Sahari women, both as candidates and as elected representatives. These realities, confirmed by many international observer missions, clearly show that the real voice of the Saharis is expressed through their elected representatives and not through imposed slogans. Furthermore, more than half of the founders of the Polisario Front have gone back to Morocco, choosing unity and development. This dynamic is part of the Moroccan autonomy initiative, recognized by the international community as being realistic and credible. It paves the way to peace. Thank you very much indeed.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Ms. Vioria Neitz. to address the committee. Ms. Vivian Eads, please.

Excellency, Chairman of the Fourth Committee, distinguished members and guests, I commend you for the years of work the United Nations has done to seek a peaceful solution to the issue of Western Sahara. Over the years, you have made many worthy efforts to negotiate a resolution. You are to be commended. I have had the privilege of advocating for the Sahrawi for over 10 years. As the years go by with no resolution, my major concern is for the youth in the camps. They suffer the most consequences in the lack of options for their future. For the sake of the youth, I ask for three significant actions from this committee. first I ask you to accelerate your efforts to settle this issue by creating diverse academic roundtable discussions that would bring together youth from Morocco and youth from the tindouf camps in this setting they could openly discuss issues that pertain to the needs and aspirations pertinent to young people you could do the same by creating academic round tables for women secondly the geopolitical situation in and around the Doof camps has changed significantly these changes affect regional security those changes dramatically affect the Polisario continued collaboration with rogue groups that have infiltrated the area in and about the 10 Doof camps this will require you to consider different options than you have considered in the past it would help if you considered the possibility of the unresolved issue becoming a magnet for countries and leaders with an agenda of war and destabilization as times and circumstances change so must one's priorities my third request is that you insist on a comprehensive data collection plan for those who live in the 10 doof camps since I have been involved in the issue there has been resistance to anyone outside of the police aryo knowing how many people are in the camps I can tell you that the lack of knowing how many people need and receive humanitarian aid is a puzzle that places a doubtful cloud over the minds of of those who want this issue resolved and the people returned to their homeland. If the Polisario were to give a head count, that alone would show good faith that they want the issue to be settled as quickly as possible. The politics of a lack of transparency create a serious credibility gap with the Polisario. I believe more today than I did 10 years ago that the solution to this issue lies in the UN adopting the plan proposed by Morocco for the Sahrawi to have autonomous rule in the Western Sahara. This would dismantle the camps and serve as a station to keep the people poor and in dire circumstances, and would create peace and stability in the region. Thank you for allowing me to address this distinguished committee today.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Mr. Moulay Brahim Chrif to address the committee.

In the name of God, the merciful and compassionate. Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Mullah Ibrahim Shrif, and I am in the Moroccan Sahara. I'm the legitimate representative of thousands of Sahawi people who have placed their trust in me and did so during credible elections. I would like to share my unique experience with you in local democracy for Morocco for decades. This has made us an example to be followed. We, therefore, have carried out state reforms and implemented good governance and solidarity based actions to ensure our area be modern and effective. All of these reforms have been headed up by Mohammed King, King Mohammed the sixth, the King of Morocco. We are aware that these are not just simple measures. Rather, these are practical measures to foster development and to attract investment, to build capacity and skills. The idea here is to bolster all parties. In 2011, we saw that there are some elements that are an integral part of the Kingdom of Morocco. This confirms the coherence and the geopolitical aspect of the situation. The Constitution allowed for elections to be held, and so elections were indeed held. Now, as regards, ladies and gentlemen, our work, in terms of local grassroots work, what we'd like to share is that our local experience is an example of autonomy. A political solution alone can in no way, or rather a political solution cannot in any way destabilize the region. Yes, We have pinned great hopes in the Moroccan autonomy plan and its initiative for safety and security in Morocco, in particular for those people located in the Tindouf camp. Let us build our country in unity. Thank you.

I thank the petitioner. And I now invite Mr. Mehmoos Oureman Anwar to please address the committee.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, for giving me this opportunity to address this commission as an international human rights expert and to share our deep concern over the growing threat posed by separatist movements to peace, sovereignty, and the protection of fundamental rights in Africa. Combating separatism is a fundamental right in Africa. Combating separatism is today not only a political or security need, but above all a human rights necessity. Across the African continent, and particularly in the Sahel region, separatist groups have multiplied, often involving into armed movements that erode state authority and undermine regional stability. Their collusion with terrorist organizations, traffickers, and organized crime generates lawless zones where civilians suffer displacement, violence, and the denial of the basic human rights. separatism weakens the state, destroys communities, and fuels the cycles of insecurity that reflects far behind borders. One of the most concerning examples is the so-called Polisario Front. Far from being a movement of liberation, it functions as an armed separatist group operating outside international legality. Evidence continues to emerge of serious human rights violations in the Tindouf camps, where thousands of Sahrawi remain deprived of freedom of movement, participation, and humanitarian protection. Testimonies describe the recruitment of the children for the military purposes, repression against the dissenting voices, and systematic restrictions on those advocating alternatives to separatism. Even more worrying is the Polisario's connection with the extremists and the criminal network in the Sahel region. Such alliance not only creates insecurity in a fragile region, but also the threat collective efforts undertaken by African states and international community to combat terrorism and organized crimes. The persistence of the separatist armed groups like the Polisario undermines the very principles of sovereignty and self-determination, as enshrined in the Charter of United Nations. In contrast, Morocco has put forward a credible, forward-looking political solution through its autonomy initiatives recognized by the Security Council as a serious and credible basis for resolving this regional dispute. These initiatives reconcile respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity with the principles of participation and self-governance. It offers a path towards lasting peace and stability development in the line with international law. Distinguished guests, defending sovereignty against the separatism is not a denial of right. This is a necessary condition for their effective enjoyment. To allow armed separatist groups to persist is to create a fertile ground for the terrorism, instability, and the continued suffering for.

I thank the petitioner, and I reiterate my request to please speakers a reasonable pace so that the interpreters can do your words justice. I now invite Ms. Melissa Mankai to address the committee. You have the floor, madam.

Mr. Chairman, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I'm speaking today on behalf of the Association of the Ghassed Friends and the League of Sahari Political Prisoners. We are here because we believe in a UN system that enables the respect for international law, and we have belief in the treaty bodies and the special procedures. In all the zones, areas of conflict and tensions are there for independence. At the time I'm speaking to you just now, 34 political prisoners are in Moroccan prisons, including two that were arrested last week for having peacefully protested. They are human rights defenders, journalists, trade union advocates, and students. They are victims of numerous violations of their rights, sentences as part of unequitable trials, arbitrary detention, poor treatment, and this is not an exhaustive list. More broadly, the families of the detainees are also the subject of reprisals and rights violations, such as a ban on visits or telephone calls or the loss of their work. Numerous violations have been sent to the UN bodies and mechanisms. In 2017 and 2023, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention rendered decisions regarding a number of cases of the detention of Saharais, expressing its serious concern given the numbers of arbitrary detention in Western Sahara, in particular the 18 detainees of Gdim Izik. The group has estimated that the appropriate measure would be to immediately release them, to grant them their right to compensation and to have an in-depth investigation. Several special rapporteurs have published warning letters regarding violations of human rights against these human rights defenders that have been detained. Since 2014, the Committee against Torture made five decisions confirming the systemic nature of torture inflicted on members of the Gazeidi group and the numerous violations of the Convention by Morocco. It called upon the state to conduct impartial investigations on the event and to compensate appropriately the victims and their families and to allow them to gain medical the committee also called upon the authorities from refraining from all reprisals against the applicants and their families. Once again, none of these decisions was implemented. Nine new complaints have been prepared in 2022. We're awaiting a decision. These decisions are undeniable evidence of behavior of the Moroccan authorities against the Saharis and the need for the international community to take measures to ensure that they be respected. We believe that the committee should invite the member states of the UN and the parties to the Convention against Torture to examine Morocco's respect for the committee's decisions regarding the detainees in Gdim Ezzik. Call upon the Moroccan government to immediately release political Sahari prisoners that it is detaining in line with the recommendations and the decisions of the UN and appeals launched by intergovernmental organizations that defend human rights.

I thank the petitioner and now I give the floor to Mr. Fabio Salvia to address the committee.

Mr. Chair, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Belgian Committee for the Support of the Saharawi People, we would reiterate that Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory according to the UN, whose statute must be determined by a process of self-determination in line with Resolution 1514. The military occupation of the territory by Morocco and its attempt to violently annex it violates Article 2 of the UN Charter banning all acquisition of territory by force more than 80,000 Moroccan soldiers have been deployed behind a military wall that is 2,700 km long in the occupied territories of Western Sahara such a situation cannot constitute recognized sovereignty the international jurisprudence of the ICJ into alien several UN resolutions reaffirm the illegal nature of the obligation of the occupation and the obligation for the state not to recognize this it has been confirmed on several occasions that Western Sahara and Morocco are two distinct territories and that any economic agreement regarding the exploitation of resources of the territory must obtain the consent of the Sahrawi people represented by the Polisario Front certain states continue to open consulates and economic branches in Western Sahara that is occupied, which runs counter to international law. The autonomy plan presented by Morocco often qualified as a good and credible basis. cannot guarantee the rights of the Sahari people to freely choose their future, and cannot replace the self-determination referendum planned by the UN. Security arguments put forward by Morocco can in no way justify this occupation. Far from ensuring stability, this maintains a climate of regional instability, bolstered by military agreements with Israel and by other networks linked to drug trafficking. The political recognition by some countries in no way grants legal binding value and cannot prevail over international law. Those states that respect the major conventions of international law cannot ignore the UN resolutions and decisions from major international courts of justice just because of their own political or economic interests. We would therefore call upon the Committee and the UN to reaffirm the status of Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory, reject any measures involving the implicit recognition of Moroccan occupation. Thirdly, guarantee that all exploitation of resources is done with the agreement of the Sahari people. Fourth, support a UN process enabling the exercise of the right to self-determination. The respect for international and the defense of human rights requires a clearer cohesive action by member states.

Of the UN.

Thank you. I thank the petitioner and I now invite Mr. Jawad Zdekaki to address the committee.

Mr. Chair, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to deliver this statement as a petitioner partaking in the deliberations of this committee. I wish to talk about my personal experience as a senator in the International Youth Chamber of the Kingdom of Morocco. Various developments have been witnessed by this region in the past years thanks to the new development model launched by His Majesty Mohammed VI in 2015. And I have personally followed up on projects that have changed the face of the Moroccan Sahara. A strategic plan has been launched linking our country to Africa, ensuring the creation of job opportunities with investments from international companies and further increases by 2028. And in Dakhla, various centers will be established in order to ensure increased production to enable the Moroccan Sahara to increase its trade relations with the Sahel and the remaining African continent. In this regard, a university has been established, including the African Academy for Science, which has become an important reference for scientific research on our territory. Solar and wind power projects have been established, including a project for green hydrogen near Al-Oyun. This is an exemplary international partnership in the production of green hydrogen, similar to NEOM. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, these projects are not merely about infrastructure. They are investments in human capital for the integration of young people in socioeconomic life in the Moroccan Sahara through job opportunities. And now I see how young people can become a lever for a thriving economy and social stability in the region. What I've seen in the field, Mr. Chair, shows that the autonomy initiative presented by the Kingdom of Morocco is a credible plan and the only means to put an end to this conflict and ensure a prosperous future for all, so as to enable the Sahrawi people to establish or to benefit from their resources in full respect of the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Ms. Caroline Schwab to address the committee.

Ms. Caroline Schwab: Mr. Chair, distinguished members and delegates, I have the honor to.

Address you today to present the vision of the private sector, the.

Proactive developers of the desert regions, and where the social progress.

And economic growth is the priority for an environmental stewardship go hand in hand for all communities.

Morocco has launched a transformative program in its Sahara region designed to provide comfort, social services, security, and employment for local population while also attracting foreign investors and visitors and tourism. With strategic investment exceeding 1 billion 75 millions of US dollars, the Morocco Sahara is becoming a hub of sustainable innovation in Africa.

The vision is backed by significant resource, 750 million US dollars in annual development investment, more than 1 billion US.

Dollar for the security of all communities in security infrastructures as well, mobilization of over 200,000 security personnel.

A central pillar of this transformation is the renewable energy revolution in the continent, in Morocco, of course.

Major project including the wind power project, the solar complex, Africa's largest solar facility with a capacity of 580 megawatt.

These initiatives.

Reduce dependence on fossil fuel and poverty. Equally significant is the Chibaka Green Hydrogen Project near Laayoune, which harnesses abundant solar and wind resources to produce green hydrogen and ammonia for export.

This initiative rests in three priorities: advanced production using electrolysis, export corridors to Europe and Africa.

And international partnership with key players such as Neom Green Hydrogen in Saudi Arabia and Aqua Power and Ma'azen in.

UAE.

Beyond energy, Morocco's integrated approach includes environmental stewardship with conservation programs and protected reserves, tourism excellence, positioning.

Dakhla as a destination of world-class adventure and cultural tourism, strategic resource such as phosphate, lithium and marine minerals supporting global clean technology and international cooperation.

All this in the favour of all levels of population and social insurance for people to...

I thank the petitioner and I now invite Ms. Elizabeth Dial to address the committee.

Your Excellency, Chairman of the Fourth Committee, distinguished members and guests. 50 years ago, the Polisario launched a movement to claim Western Sahara as its sovereign state. Promises were made to those who supported the Polisario's vision, and many who believed the Polisario felt the ordeal would only last a short time and followed them, often blind, in blind faith into the desert. One often repeated Polisario promise was that even in the desert, their children would have a good education. Polisario leaders often repeated, not just for their followers, but also for the international community, their commitment to seeing the children in the camps receive an excellent education. They said, "We will not shed a drop of blood "for an uneducated population." Whatever the best intentions of the Polisario were in the early years of their desert protest, over the years, those ideals have worn thin. Today, disillusioned with multiple years of their leaders' unfulfilled promises, camp parents have settled into a reality. The educational system in the camps is failing their children. Parents who are not a part of the Polisario elite now face two realities. First, the schools available to them in the camps are failing, a fact confirmed by ACAPS, a nonprofit, non-governmental project that provides international independent humanitarian analysis. ACAPS stated, and I quote, "Education quality is decreasing because of the low incentives and high turnover of the teachers, the shortage of educational resources, and minimal opportunities available for refugee students after graduation." Second, their children will likely leave the camps and seek jobs in Algeria, France, Spain, or other European cities. The parents will then wait in the camps for the money their children will send so that they can purchase the necessities of life beyond the rations provided by the World Food Program. The compromised educational system in the camps is of grave concern to me. The UN's fourth, I'm sorry, the UN's fourth sustainable development goal states that a quality education is a fundamental right for every child. The UN promises to ensure inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. This artificial crisis has diminished the high expectations of the Swahili leaders. They no longer have the drive to instill in their future generations the determination to learn. Children must have a hope for their future. It is time to implement the Moroccan autonomy plan to unite the children with their friends, aunts, uncles, and cousins who live in the Western Sahara. Thank you for the opportunity to address this committee. I consider it an honor to be here.

I thank the petitioner and I now invite Mr. Angel Patino to address the committee.

Chairman, delegates, I'm grateful for this opportunity to participate in this meeting of the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly to call out the neocolonial oppression of the Kingdom of Morocco and to advocate for the rights and the respect of the sovereignty of the Sahrawi people. We call out the subhuman conditions that the inhabitants are forced to live in, in the refugee camps, where their civic rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly are being limited. There's also an information embargo that prevents the world from finding out about the situation in this region. We also condemn the human rights violations of political prisoners, arbitrary detained with unfair trials, keeping them in solitary confinement for long periods of time, censoring their correspondence, with family visits that are limited to only 15 minutes every two weeks, and without proper access to medical services. Here we can particularly highlight the prisoners of Gadem Ezik, who have been dispersed transferred around the occupied territory. So they are being placed in prisons that are not near their families. We call for them to be moved to prisons that are near to their family members. Morocco now is emulating Israel in its role as occupying power. They are engaging in demographic colonization with settlements to alter the demographics of the territories, building walls to divide the population, confiscating and their land and expelling them from them, and avoiding at all costs any type of self-determination and the recognition of their status. Israel is now advising Morocco in its repression of the Sahrawi people, providing armaments, drones and intelligence satellites. We do not want to see another possible genocide there. We call upon the United Nations to renew and politically empower the presence of MINURSO with a mandate to oversee human rights and to finalize the steps required to organize a self-determination referendum for the Sahrawi people. We reject the instrumentalization of international law by foreign and occupying powers who are disregarding international law. The Rabat plan to create a body that is different from the one in the self-determination plan on the territory of Western Sahara must be rejected, as well as attempts to delegitimize the Sahrawi people and to terrorize them with the Polisario Front. we must recognize the right of self-determination of the Saray people. Thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Mr. Norooz Torogh Aghaei to take the floor before the committee.

Mr. Chair, Because of a lack of time, I would just like to outline the main lines of a report published in 2024. NGO in Sahara have lifted the veil on atrocities committed. Women and children have been affected by this tragedy that's been there for more than 50 years. The Alliance reiterates that the UN Special Rapporteur on human trafficking should go there to take a stock and to bring an end to these violations. The report underscores that the Tindouf camp does not come under international human rights mechanisms of the UN. or the legal jurisdiction of the host country. This makes their location vulnerable to exploitation and abuse of all kinds. The Alliance, therefore, strongly denounced the so-called "holidays for peace", "vacations for peace". This is just targeted manipulation of very young children in the Tindouf camps. This vacations actually involve putting children in a cultural context that is completely alien to these children and these families don't know anything about these people. So these are innocent children. What exactly are we talking about? This program involves separating children from their families and their culture by separating them and making them as far away as possible and putting them in strange environments, even suspect environments sometimes. This exposes them to the risk of forced labor, sexual exploitation, and in some cases, their religious reconversion. The report underlines the fact that Sahrawis were forcibly deported to Caribbean countries. subjecting them to instrumentalisation and military training. Some victims of these deportations are here with us in this room. They've told us about their lives. So it's very often very young children who are affected by this. And those Sahari families who refuse to hand over their children to this find themselves in very difficult situation. But it's very difficult for these families to document their violations. The Tindouf camps are basically closed. There are two perpetrators of this, the Polisario and the host country, who leave the inhabitants of the camps to the mercy of their butchers and in violation of international human rights law. So it's high time for the international community to act regarding the Polisario Front. There is legislation that is pertinent in this regard.

I thank the representative of the communal council of Dakhla. I now invite Ms. Cynthia Bassi-Nats to address the committee.

Chair, excellencies, distinguished delegates, in the time since recording "Santa Baby" for Love Jack Nicholson in 1997, releasing online in 1999, visiting the Western Sahara in 2001, garnering a shared Nobel Peace Prize nom in 2005, and addressing this committee nearly every year subsequently, we have gone from millionaires to billionaires to trillionaires, thanks to the use of technology facilitated gender-based violence and the use of my intellectual property, a resource of the Sahawi people. like myself, self-determined, and like the Sahawi, silenced, displaced, replaced, and erased. We are the canaries in the coal mine. Quite simply put, the rich and famous are utilizing tactics of TFG-BV to remain rich and famous. This information is garnered thanks to electronic surveillance, sliced and diced, and companies continue to merge, creating big media and big tech. We have become so oppositeland In America and UK, thanks to big media and big tech, we have an empowered fascist president altering the women around him with plastic surgery filters to create my persona, including the White House decor, and using my political agenda.

I remind the petitioner. I remind the petitioner to please restrict your statement to issues to do with the territory that is under review this afternoon? Statements must be restricted to dealing with the territory that we're reviewing. And I'll give the floor to the next. You can continue with the floor for one minute 35, the one minute 35 remaining for you.

Including, sir, may I continue?

Yes, you may continue.

Thank you. Using my political agenda like a personal hit list, siding with Morocco over the rights of the Sahrawi and people, DEI, women's rights, unions, the environment, and intellectual protection for profit. A staged world for decades thanks to the lack of protection over my personal creativity and advocate for. At the cost of union, systemic racism, indie artists, designers, small businesses, and entire countries. Gone is authenticity. Fashion for Fashion for fascism, thanks to TFG, BV lives on. It is how colonialism lives on. Fashion for fascism did not end with Mussolini. When you see Royals, first ladies, celebrities, brands, media outlets, they are utilizing weapons of war. The utilization of TFG, BV silencing women's and minority voices in the political arena is so grave. UNESCO has undertaken this crusade. UNESCO has defined TFG BV as misinformation, cyber harassment, hate speech, impersonation, hacking and stalking, image based abuse, doxing and violent threats. The imbalance to autocracy around the world due to this war propagated by profit has turned the world into one identity and the search of perfection of that identity. Our rights are going backwards. Our world is going backwards. TFG BV. It silences me. It silences.

I thank the petitioner. I'd like to ask speakers and remind you once again to please speak at a reasonable pace for the interpreters to accurately convey your words. I also remind all speakers of the need to maintain decorum when taking the floor and to abstain from discussing territories that are not the 17 non-self-governing territories that are on the agenda of the committee. I now invite Ms. Amanda Di Ciani to address the plenary.

Your Excellency, Chairman of the Fourth Committee, distinguished members and guests. For years, the international community has sounded the alarm over the recruitment and militarization of children by the Polisario Front in the Tindouf camps. These are not mere allegations. They are substantiated claims echoed here in this very assembly and raised at the UNHCR in Geneva. NGOs, including the African Network for Development and IL Sinecolo, have presented credible evidence at the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council, revealing that the Polisario Front has forcefully recruited minors as child soldiers. A detailed investigation published by the Washington Post in April 2025 confirmed that hundreds of Polisario militants and child soldiers were captured by new authorities in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. These fighters, many of whom trace their roots back to the Tindouf camps, demonstrate how the militarization of youth has had far-reaching, destabilizing consequences. The Movement of Sahrawis for Peace, MSP in Madrid, continue to act as a voice for many disillusioned Sahrawis by establishing a frontline of resistance where they could safely report on the actions of Polisario leaders. Through firsthand reports, they have highlighted the increasingly dire conditions within the Tindouf camps, which are governed by the Polisario. Key concerns include armed gangs and traffickers have destabilized camp security and spread fear among camp residents. In April 2025, the Institute of Geopolitical Horizons reported a Leun camp incident where heavily armed traffickers exchanged gunfire and forced residents to hide in their homes without protection, exposing the lack of security within the Polisario-controlled camps. Also in the Leun camp, violent confrontations have led to the destruction of property and vehicles, creating an environment of chaos and fear. A lack of basic security and accountability has allowed corruption to flourish, further undermining trust and stability. There are credible allegations implicating Polisario members in drug trafficking, smuggling, and livestock theft, often in coordination with organized criminal networks. These conditions are documented, and they paint a bleak reality that cannot be dismissed. The continued marginalization of Sahrawi youth, deprived of education and opportunities, leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and radicalization. We urge this committee to adopt the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco because it offers the most humane, realistic, and peaceful solution to this enduring conflict. It provides a framework for dignity, development, and self-governance. It is time for the international community to act decisively. Let us work together to offer hope, security, and a future to those who have been silenced for too long. Thank you for allowing me to address this esteemed committee today.

I thank the petitioner.

And I now invite Ms. Ana Rojas to take the floor.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to address the issue of the Royal Atlantic Initiative, its significance to southern provinces, and its potential intersection with European Union. Launched under the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Royal Atlantic Initiative seeks to transform the Atlantic into a space of shared prosperity, stability, and sustainable development. By connecting Atlantic Africa with the landlocked territory of the Sahel, this initiative redefines geography. It turns the ocean into a bridge rather than a barrier. For the European Union in particular, the relevance of this project is evident. It creates natural avenues of cooperation in at least four strategic areas. First, economic and trade corridors. The emerging hubs in Morocco's southern provinces, notably the new Dakhla Atlantic port and the Tiznit-Dakhla expressway, will anchor flows of goods and services between West Africa and Europe. This positions the southern provinces as vital logistics platforms and engines of job creation. Moreover, it resonates directly with the EU's global gateway strategy. Second, energy security. The Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline stretching across West Africa is not only an African project, but also an Euro-African one. By eventually connecting to European markets, it offers an alternative supply route. At the same time, Morocco's southern provinces are being equipped as hubs for renewable energy and green hydrogen, turning them into contributors to both regional sustainability and Europe's long term energy transition. Third, sustainability and the blue economy. Here too, the Atlantic Initiative converges with the EU's Green Deal. Fisheries, offshore renewables, and ecotourism are sectors where the southern provinces stand to attract investment and expertise, while Europe gains reliable and sustainable partnerships. Fourth, security and stability. The Sahel's challenges do not stop at Africa's shores. They affect Europe as well. By contributing to stability in the Sahel and securing Atlantic maritime routes, the initiative supports European security interests while enhancing the southern provinces' role as Morocco's frontline for regional peace and cooperation. In sum, the Royal Atlantic Initiative is not only a South-South project, it is also a platform for South-South-North cooperation. positions Morocco's southern provinces as strategic gateways, and it offers the European Union a unique opportunity to invest in a more stable, prosperous, and sustainable shared neighborhood. Thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Mr. Henri Diedrich to address the committee.

Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, dear representatives of the international community, I am speaking here as a petitioner of Moroccan Sahara for all Saharan families who, like all families throughout the world, aspire to live in peace, to preserve their dignity, and to have a better future for their children. The Moroccan autonomy initiative is more than just a political proposal; it is a human project. born of decades of dialogue with local populations. It's an extended hand to build lasting peace together. This initiative recognizes and cherishes the rich Sahari culture, its traditions, its languages, and its unique heritage. It enables the Sahari people to manage themselves and to manage their local affairs, their education, their culture, and their economic development whilst remaining fully integrated into their Moroccan homeland. Today, the world has recognized this wisdom. More than 116 countries, African, European, Asian, and American nations, support this path of compromise and coexistence. They have grasped that this initiative provides a realistic alternative vis-a-vis the current deadlock. But Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, let us look in particular at the specific outcome in the provinces of the south. Development projects are already transforming people's daily lives. Hospitals and medical centers, schools, infrastructure that benefit everyone. Families are back together, communities are rebuilding, and young people are finding hope in the future once again. What unites us in this is the same conviction that peace cannot be decreed, it can only be built, that it cannot be imposed, it can be cultivated, that it is not negotiated between states, but it is experienced between peoples. The Moroccan Autonomy Initiative embodies this humanist vision of peace, a peace which respects identities, whilst promoting unity which preserves diversity whilst strengthening national cohesion. I do apologise, says the speaker. Therefore, I would call upon you, ladies and gentlemen, as I want to do today, to support this vision of hope, to choose dialogue over division, construction over destruction, life over conflict. Let us work together for this initiative to continue to bear fruit for families today and for future generations. Thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner. And I now invite Mr. Agron Pali to address the committee.

Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, Western Sahara remains a colony, the last colony in Africa, and the world knows it. In 1975, the International Court of Justice declared, and I quote, "Morocco has no sovereignty over Western Sahara." Half a century later, the United Nations promise of a referendum on self-determination remains unfulfilled. The Sahrawi people are still waiting for the simple right to decide their destiny freely, peacefully, and in accordance with international law. What do we see instead? A people beaten for raising their flags, a nation divided, half living under occupation, half surviving in exile, a land stripped of its wealth, its phosphite, its fisheries, even its wind and sun taken without consent. And yet, the Sahrawi people are not without voice. They are represented by the Polisario Front, the recognized national liberation movement of Western Sahara, acknowledged by this very United Nations as the legitimate representative of their struggle. We must reaffirm a central mandate of MINURSO, the United Nations mission for the referendum of Western Sahara. Its very name defines its purpose to organize a referendum, not to supervise an indefinite occupation. That referendum must take place. No state, however powerful, has the right to decide the destiny of another. Only the Sahrawi people can determine their future freely and democratically. And let's not forget, Spain, as the former colonial power, also bears legal and moral responsibility to complete the process of decolonization. Sovereignty was never lawfully transferred, and responsibility cannot be abandoned while the Sahrawi people remain disposed. Likewise, the Security Council has a duty not to remain silent or complicit. Those entrusted with maintaining peace cannot uphold the Charter while shielding Morocco from accountability for the occupation and resource plunder. Distinguished delegates, Subjugation is not peace. Autonomy under occupation is not freedom. It is surrender. This question reaches beyond one territory. It tests whether international law will stand as a principle or bend to power. The right to self-determination either belongs to all people or it means nothing at all. The time for delay is over. The time for justice is now. Stand with Western Sahara, stand with self-determination, and stand with independence. I thank you.

I thank the petitioner and I now invite Ms. Laila El-Aftani to take the floor.

Mr. Chair, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen. delegates, it is my honour to speak to your august assembly during this meeting to present a very important issue pertaining to the Moroccan Sahara and the challenges of regional peace and development. There are serious violations experienced by the inhabitants of the Tindouf camp. The artificial conflict regarding Moroccan Sahara It has been on the agenda of the UN for decades now, since the ceasefire in 1991. The Kingdom of Morocco, with the international community, has undertaken a process of serious dialogue. In April 2007, the Kingdom presented the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the only serious, realistic and credible option that would guarantee the dignity of the people and bring an end definitively to this artificial conflict. This initiative has enjoyed broad support from most of the Security Council and is based on the values of economic and social development, on the rule of law and individual and collective freedoms. The Kingdom of Morocco has upheld its commitment through strategic projects. They have changed the southern provinces. These are projects that have constituted a real leverage for African growth and development. It has created jobs and paves the way for prosperity for generations to come. The projects show the vision of the Kingdom of Morocco. Nonetheless, on the other side, very unfortunately, tragic practices are ongoing in the Tindouf camps, where thousands of families are subject to systematic violations of their most basic rights. The Polisario Front is recruiting minor children, young children from there. This is a violation of international law and of human rights law. These children are taken out of school to be thrown into military camps. They're deprived of their childhood. This is a violation of the Optional Protocol of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. regarding the recruitment of children in armed conflict. This is also a violation of Resolution 1612 of the Security Council that banned such practices. These violations represent a crime against humanity and a direct threat to regional peace and security. They are not just limited to killing the innocence of these children. Rather, it sows violence and hatred and instability as well, such practices do. Ladies and gentlemen, in conclusion, I would like to reiterate that--.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Ms. Eliana Rivera Patino to address the committee.

I'm speaking on behalf of the Colombian Foundation for Friendship with the Sahrawi people. And I thank the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly for hearing our voice that is often silenced. Childhood in this region is marked by exile and hope. Thousands of families had to leave their lands due to the conflict in Western Sahara as a conflict of the invasion and occupation of their territory by the Kingdom of Morocco. Today, the majority of Sahrawi children grow up in refugee camps in the Algerian desert, where their conditions are not easy. Extreme heat, shortages of water, and an almost complete absence of humanitarian aid. However, what affects them the most is not only material lackings, but rather the fact that these boys and girls are born and grow up without knowing their motherland, their sea and their cities. However, this teaches us a lesson of dignity, because these young people learn to appreciate their dignity and their culture and engage in peaceful resistance. And this, thanks to the schools of the camps that have become true hotbeds of knowledge, where they're not only taught to read and write, but also to be able to dream and to work towards a future of freedom, where studying is not only a right, but also an act of hope and struggle. It's important to understand that childhood in as a refugee is not a wasted childhood but one of solidarity and justice they remind us that childhood should not be linked to suffering but rather it should be linked to joy playing and the ability to grow up without fear that's why talking about these children must also include talking about international responsibility, the exercising of the self-determination of the Sahrawi people, their right to exist and to live in peace. We must not forget that every Sahrawi boy and girl who is born in a refugee camp represents an urgent appeal to the international community to find a fair and lasting solution to this conflict. Today, I'd like to invite you to think about what we can do as delegates, as citizens, and as human beings so that Syrian children do not only remember their childhood in exile, but also they remember a victory for justice Because protecting children is protecting the future, and the future of the Saree people deserves to be lived in freedom, peace and dignity. Thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Mr. Wilson Dalenke to address the committee.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Wilson Dalenke, a journalist and human rights activist from Indonesia. It is an honor for me to be in this very noble forum. I'm here to deliver my statement and testimony regarding the extrajudicial execution in the Tindouf refugee camps by Polisario as a practice contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and to international human rights law. These extrajudicial executions are not isolated incidents. They are systematic violations carried out against civilians, people stripped of liberty, silenced, and denied due process. The Tindouf refugee camps, located on Algerian soil, house over 170,000 Sahrawi refugees under the control of the Polisario Front. According to United Nation Human Rights Council report, there have been numerous of extra-judicial execution, arbitrary detention, and torture in detention camps. Let us be clear, the right to life is not negotiable. It is protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and by jus cogens norms, those peremptory rules of international law that bind all states and actors without exception. Extrajudicial killings are a direct affront to these norms. They are crimes that cannot be justified by politics nor hidden behind sovereignty. What's happening in Tinnouf is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a collapse of legal and ethical order. Civilians are executed without trial, without evidence, without defense. Algerian authorities, by hosting and enabling these acts, do share responsibility. We must ask, where is the accountability? Where is the international response? Silence means complicity. International community must demand independent investigation, prosecution of those responsible, and protection for the vulnerable. Those core principles are not theoretical. They are the foundation of justice. So my message is this, let's come to action. Please, in our mind that the rule of law must apply everywhere, even in the most remote corners of the desert. The population of the Tinduf camps deserve justice, dignity, and freedom from fear. I will from Indonesia, thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Mr. Karl Gustav Bjertnes to address the Committee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, all protocols observed. The Sahel Atlantic space stands at crossroads. For too long, instability has deprived the communities of their rightful future. Yet in the southern provinces of Morocco, we see that stability can be built. not only through security, but through opportunity. We commend the King for his vision. International cooperation and regional security are deeply connected, especially in the Sahelo-Atlantic space, a vital region stretching from southern Morocco through Mauritania, the Sahel, and Senegal to the Atlantic coast. The Moroccan southern provinces, once a crossroads of trade and migration, are now positioned as a catalyst for peace and shared prosperity in an area marked by frequent instability. By nurturing entrepreneurship, supporting innovative ecosystems, and focusing on ambitious job creation, these provinces are becoming central to regional collaboration and security. Our conviction is clear, especially having just recently returned from an in-depth visit to both Laayoune and Dakhla. Peace is sustained when young people find their place in the new economies of the 21st century. The southern provinces are becoming a laboratory for this future, indeed, a Pan-African future. Where entrepreneurship and innovation anchor stability, across the cities and towns, physical and digital incubators are taking root, linking the energy of the youth with the tools of artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced digital services. I foresee a future similar to the development of the UAE. This is not theory, it is happening. In the next phase alone, more than 10,000 young people will be trained to create micro enterprises, whether a voice AI receptionist for a clinic, an automated legal service for small firms, or digital marketplaces for farmers and artisans. Each enterprise is not just a job, but a bulwark against despair and extremism. No single actor should monopolize the destiny of the people. Sovereignty and dignity are safeguarded when development is inclusive, when innovation belongs to the many and not the few. The southern provinces that youth-led innovation is not only possible, it is inevitable when given the right ecosystem. We call upon this Assembly, under the spirit of Sustainable Development Goals, to embrace this model of cooperation. Let us invest together in incubators of peace, in technologies that heal division, and in economies that honour both.

I thank the petitioner. And now I invite Ms. Maria Yolanda Reyes Escobar to address the committee.

My warmest regards, Chairman. Perusing the official documents of this distinguished Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly, I'm seeing that more than 80 cases of geopolitical conflicts on the five continents of the world have been resolved. Now today, these places are nation states that benefit from sovereignty, their own territories, and a solid politics and economy, and recognition within international geopolitics. And these are some of the achievements of the decolonization and self-determination of peoples. Nevertheless, the case that we're gathering to deal with today is the case of Western Sahara. This is a conflict that has been frozen in time for the last 50 years, and it looks like we don't have a solution to it soon, even though the United Nations are underscoring the principle of the self-determination of the Sahrawi people. and also the importance of the territory's pending decolonization. However, the political and geostrategic reality has been in favor of the Kingdom of Morocco. On the other hand, we must mention MINURSO, who remain on this territory. However, there hasn't been much progress for the Sahrawi people. when it comes to the legitimacy achieved for the people of Morocco. There's the issue of nationalism. We know how dangerous this is, which is a narrative of political culture that seeks to delegitimize the power and the credibility of the identity of the Sahrawi people, both in the occupied territory as well as in the refugee camps. Therefore, the immediate appeal to MINUSCO is to revitalize the process for the self-determination of the sorry people by way of new and renewed diplomacy that would establish the conditions the political and technical conditions required to organize the referendum that would need to be verifiable in line with current policies and that would enable the active participation of key stakeholders such as the African Union, the European Union and Latin American states who have been officially recognizing the Arab Sahrawi Republic.

And the speaker's microphone was cut off.

The chair thanks the petitioner. and invites Ms. Nancy Huff to address the committee.

Your Excellency, Chairman of the Fourth Committee, distinguished members and guests. For many years, I operated a humanitarian program to help the Sahrawi people living in the Tindouf camps. Once seen as a secular nationalist movement, the Polisario has, in recent years, aligned itself with radical actors across the region. This shift has raised deep concerns about its intentions and its ability to act in good faith toward a peaceful resolution. Some still portray the Polisario as a secular nationalist group, but analysts and experts disagree. Research from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies reveals clear connections between extremist networks and the Polisario, noting that the tented camps have become vulnerable to jihadist recruitment and illicit arms activity, including the transfer of drones and surface-to-air missiles. These developments have created instability and despair among the Sahrawi. In August 2023, Sahrawis for Peace sent a communication to Mr. Stephane D. Mastour, the UN Special Envoy to Western Sahara, sharing firsthand accounts of deteriorating conditions and moral decline within the camps. For 50 years, residents have believed promises that each year the UN meetings would bring resolution, unaware that their suffering has been used as a political display rather than addressed with compassion and action. Waiting costs lives and prevents progress. It's time now to act. The Sahrawi deserve the chance to return home, rebuild their communities, and take part in their own future. With new diplomatic avenues available, it is time for all parties to embrace a realistic and peaceful path forward. I believe Morocco's autonomy plan, which is the proposal of my country, the United States of America, embraces, remains the most credible, and workable option on the table. It offers the Sahrawi self-governance within their homeland and the opportunity to transform the region into one of the most prosperous in North Africa. Let us choose action over delay, cooperation over division, and peace over endless waiting. Thank you for allowing me to address this committee today.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Ms. Moara Crivellente to address the committee.

Thank you, Mr. President, Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen. This session is a necessary reminder that colonialism is not a closed chapter in human history. As such, it is a call for all nations to continue their efforts to abolish it. Therefore, the World Peace Council, an organization born soon after World War II, with member organizations in dozens of countries, including the Brazilian Center for Solidarity with the Peoples and Struggle for Peace, adds its voice to that of the people of Western Sahara in demanding concrete actions to end the occupation and colonization of their territory by Morocco, so that the United Nations may finally fulfill its duty toward the people's self-determination. This is a fundamental principle of the so-called rules-based order, which, according to its own charter, must be implemented by this organization, answering to the people's will to eradicate war, exploitation, and oppression, and to promote peace, justice, liberation, and social emancipation. However, while the question of Western Sahara has remained on its agenda for no less than six decades, the Sahrawi people's yearning for freedom from colonial rule did not begin when the UN recognized it or when the world powers finally admitted that colonialism is an unfair system of oppression that must be abolished. Nor did it end when Morocco occupied Western Sahara five long decades ago, claiming to be recovering a territory that was never theirs, seeking but failing to crush the national liberation movement. This determination cannot be nullified by spurious trade agreements like those signed with the European Union, which in effect endorse the plundering of Sahrawi resources and the perpetuation of injustice, as warned by countless UN declarations and resolutions about the consequences of failing to implement the right to self-determination. It is not torn from people by torture, by censorship, forced disappearance, displacement, or exile. On the contrary, the Sahrawi people continue their absolute movement toward liberation, resisting the impositions of the occupier and its partners in coercive diplomatic processes that seek their subjugation, thus setting an example for humanity in the process of strengthening their society, having proclaimed their state through their legitimate representative, Front Polisario, its institutions, in spite of such adverse conditions. And therefore, it is past time for us to assume our responsibility toward Western Sahara, not with vague calls for a return to failed negotiating frameworks or promoting plans favorable to the occupier, but treating this question instead as a non-negotiable issue of decolonization that must be concluded. Otherwise, we will continue to witness the irreversible degradation of the principle and right to self-determination for which peoples so valiantly fought for, the victory of force over the promise, hope, and collective action for a more just world. Thank you.

I thank the petitioner. And once again, I'd just like to remind speakers to please speak at a reasonable pace to facilitate the work of the interpreters. I'd also like to remind all speakers of the need to maintain decorum when taking the floor and to please refrain from discussing territories or situations that are not part of the 17 non-autonomous, non-self-governing territories that are on the agenda of the committee. Thank you. I now give the floor to Ms. Mariana Aparicio Ramirez to address the committee.

Excellency, thank you for giving me the floor. Distinguished delegates, our warmest regards this afternoon. The situation of Moroccan Sahara has been on the international agenda frequently at this organization. At the beginning of the 1990s, there was the ceasefire and a call for peace. By 1997, the efforts of the international community were focused on engaging in dialogue and outreach in order to listen and to hear the needs of each party. In 2007, the Kingdom of Morocco presented a plan focused on providing autonomy to Moroccan Sahara. The bases of this proposal were focused on providing a better future and fostering economic and social development in this region in the south of the Kingdom of Morocco. The Security Council established resolution 1754 to create synergy and to work together to find possible solutions to this situation that has been going on now for a bit more than five decades. Now, today, at this forum, I'd like us to think about the proposal of the Kingdom of Morocco that seeks to safeguard the well-being of the people in the south. The central pillar of this is to provide and promote and guarantee the Moroccan provisions to ensure prosperity and economic development. Since 2007, we have seen visible results. with the Kingdom of Morocco's development policy, improving the region and engaging in the development of strategic projects, such as the Dakhla and Atlantic port, with millions of dirhams invested, that is going to be a hub for trade between Africa, Europe, and Asia, and also other measures in the southern provinces. There's also the new motorway that is connecting African and European markets, and we are seeing a ramping up of investments in priority sectors such as renewable energy, modern agriculture, tourism and fishing, incentivising local employment, reducing unemployment and strengthening the labour market of this region. Public policies stemming from this project benefit from public and private investment, 70% to 30% respectively. We're also seeing private capital from across the world being invested. The actions carried out by the Kingdom of Morocco are testament to their commitment to propose the only viable alternative for this region and are a serious, realistic and credible solution to safeguard the well-being of the southern provinces. This way, we are strengthening legal certainty as well as the macroeconomic stability of the region. This is being guaranteed by the Kingdom of Morocco and these are conditions that would be almost impossible in a scenario of fragmentation. Thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner and I invite is Marta Chavez C to address the committee

Moroccan Sahara is not at all an issue of decolonization but rather a matter of territorial Integrity in the national sovereignty of Morocco Morocco brought this case to the United Nations in 1963 at a time in which the polario front didn't even exist The dispute over the Moroccan Sahara is one that was created by their eastern neighbor in the context of the Cold War, questioning the territorial integrity of the Kingdom. Morocco adopted the peaceful approach, prioritising dialogue and the political process under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations Security Council. The country that created the refugee camps in Tindouf Tindouf are also hosting the Polisario Front and providing political and military support to provide a stumbling block to the access of the Kingdom to its southern provinces, in violation of good neighborly relations. While this is under the sponsorship of the above-mentioned country, efforts are not being spared to delegitimize Morocco's efforts. here, and they are questioning the territorial integrity. The Moroccan autonomy plan, in clear demonstration of the credibility of the Moroccan position and the undeniable legitimacy that they have over their Saharan provinces. The referendum we've heard a lot about this afternoon has been discarded by the United Nations, and this has been the case for more than 20 years now, in order instead to have a realistic and lasting solution, the UN Security Council has recognized the serious nature of the Moroccan autonomous proposal of 2007 as a credible basis for negotiations. This dynamic has led to the organization of roundtables in which representatives, Sahrawi elected representatives, have participated, laying bare the democratic and social reality of this region. There are consulates from more than 30 countries here, and they are recognizing the Moroccan-ness of the Sahara. There's also more than three quarters of the UN member states who are not recognizing these entities. In Morocco, they democratically elect their representatives, and these representatives participate in regional development and contribute to it. There are also more than 120 States who have recognised that the Moroccan autonomy plan is the only outcome to this artificial political conflict and shows that it is necessary in order to achieve stability and shared prosperity. Thank you.

I thank the petitioner. And just to remind you, please speak at a reasonable speed so the interpreters can do your words justice. I now give the floor to Mr. Javier Fernandez Arribas.

Chairman, thank you. Three and a half years, Spain decided to support the Moroccan initiative as the only credible solution to resolve the regional conflict on Moroccan Sahara, starting a policy of blackmail. And this sovereign premeditated vision comes from the country that managed the region of Moroccan Sahara, and that is the country that is best aware of the legal foundations of this issue and the background. There was the Madrid agreements in the 1950s were politically instrumentalized about the Tindouf camps. This position of Spain explicitly recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara has a significant impact on the international dynamics. A lot of recognition has been added to this from Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, Slovakia, Estonia, as well as France and the United Kingdom in their capacities as permanent members of the UN Security Council alongside the United States of America. The effect of each and every one of these decisions cannot be summarised to mathematical calculation, but rather it's the result of of a decision where other countries have decided to join this consensus supporting the Moroccan-ness of the Sahara and reaffirming the fact that the Moroccan initiative is the only way to resolve this artificial conflict that has been capitalized by adverse actors in the region. They are opting for the solution promoted by the UN Security Council in its resolutions, including 2714, 56 the neighbor of Morocco alone is engaged in a process that is ineffective and obsolete and has been replaced by a political solution whose parameters have been clearly defined since 2017 um being adjusted to the um Moroccan autonomy initiative There's also the question of human rights and national resources, and there was a ruling from the European Court of Justice without any legal scope or any political effect on this situation. between Morocco and the European Union. The Polisario is not the only representative of the Sahrawi people, because today we have movements like the Sahrawi Movement for Peace, who have managed to be a relevant representative of the Sahrawi people. It's unfortunate that the reality is not being recognized and that we continue to wage a lost battle. Rabat is not insulting the future and is reaching out to its neighbor time and again to organise the referendum.

The speaker's microphone was cut off, says the interpreter.

The Chair thanks the petitioner. I now invite Mr. Lorenzo Fabili to address the Committee.

Mr.

Lorenzo Fabili: Estimated President, ladies and gentlemen. I'm a city councillor in Fucecchio, Florence, and a member of UREA, Association of Solidarity with the Sahrawi People. I'm here to represent the voice of many local authorities in Italy that over the years have embraced the Sahrawi cause, thanks to the tireless work of associations committed to supporting their right to self-determination. These associations provide aid in the refugee camps in Algeria, in the territories occupied by Morocco, and in the liberated areas of Western Sahara. Humanitarian missions deliver medical and educational supplies, while cooperation projects, especially in sport, offer children and adults moments of normality and hope. Public events and conferences also help raise awareness of the denial of these people's fundamental rights. The strong bond between Italian municipalities and the Sahrawi people is expressed each summer through the Little Ambassador of Peace project. For two months, Sahrawi children are hosted by communities and volunteers across Italy. This is not a simple holiday, but a profoundly human experience. The children discover a reality beyond the refugee camps, receive medical checkups, and bring to institutions the voice of a voiceless people. In 2025, 123 children and 25 chaperones were welcomed thanks to the efforts of 200 municipalities, 240 organizations, and more than 2,000 volunteers. During this day, the children attended 140 institutional meetings with various authorities. All this is made possible by a nationwide movement of solidarity. In these children lies the hope for a better future. Yet, On our own, we can only do so much. They cannot continue to live in a conflict that has lasted for 50 years, forcing them far from their homeland, illegally occupied. For this reason, the Italian Solidarity Movement calls on the Fourth Committee to accelerate the peace process and to do everything in its power to achieve a referendum on self-determination. It is essential that the United Nations mission for the referendum in Western Sahara be given the mandate to monitor respect for human rights too often violated in the occupied territories. We can remain human if we don't give up seeing what's happening around us. We can't abandon these children, these people. Thank you for your attention.

I thank the petitioner, and I now invite Ms. Martha Esther Guerra Munoz to address the committee.

Thank you, Chair, members of the UN General Assembly Fourth Committee. I'm Martha Esther Guerra Munoz, and I come from the Popular University of Cesar, and I'm a professor and a researcher. Really, I've come to draw the world's attention to the rights of the children of Western Sahara who are growing up in the midst of terror and uncertainty over their future. We're not seeing any effective solution proposal because the situation of repression and occupation by Morocco remains resolute, including support from Spain. where de jure we're seeing a situation of uncertainty and a lack of well-being, where we are not meeting their hopes and we are limiting their life projects, creating a situation where they're not able to see a better future in a harmonious state. Your Excellency, the fact is that We need to propose solutions that eliminate the threats. However, at this stage of their lives, we're only seeing small amounts of compassion and responsibility. They are in exile and relying on humanitarian aid and not able to develop economically and socially as the world evolves. The suggestions I'd like to make are to bear in mind the rights of children, Article 38, to shelter them from any conflict anywhere in the world. Also, accountability for the military occupying power for not complying with the law. Three, It's necessary to reaffirm the sentence handed down by the European Court of Justice as to the illegal exploitation of their natural resources, which is causing economic marginalization. Number four, we respectfully request that United Nations make immediate progress to ensure the political right of achieving self-determination, putting an end to Morocco's occupation and to eliminate the serious suffering because there are political and legal foundations to put an end to this conflict. Thank you very much. Good afternoon.

I thank the petitioner and I now invite Mr. Jamal Kamal.

Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen. I first and foremost would like to express that I am pleased to participate in the work of this fourth committee. This reflects the commitment of the Kingdom of Bahrain to pursue these questions, namely the protection of development. I would like to talk about the question of Moroccan Sahara. This is one of the most important question. According to our experience, the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative of 2007 represents a practical solution today. This initiative is supported increasingly. 118 countries indeed have supported this plan. Most of the EU countries and three permanent members of the Security Council have supported this. The US also reiterated its support for this plan and initiative. This means that the international community believes that the initiative is the best way of resolving this conflict. This support should not just be a dead letter. Or it has not been indeed more than 30 consulates in Yaounde and Dakhla have been opened. Arab, African and other countries have made that southern area or region an active one. This acknowledges the Moroccan nature of Sahara, of Moroccan Sahara. It bolsters development. The southern provinces have become a center for development thanks to measures including a motorway between Dakhla that was started in January. So from Dakhla to connect the different regions, other projects are underway as well. to the tune of more than $1 billion, ports that are to link Africa and Europe. Other projects have taken place in the area of solar energy and green hydrogen energy. Reforms are being undertaken in the area of education. All this reaffirms that this region is being transformed. This shows that the Moroccan autonomy initiative is the only framework to bring stability for the region and to protect people's dignity. This is why I would call upon all member states to support this specific responsible plan. It paves the way for peace. Thank you.

I thank the petitioner and I now invite Ms. Sol Fortea Sevilla to address the Committee.

Chairman, distinguished delegates, 50 years since the invasion of Western Sahara by the Kingdom of Morocco. It's the 50th anniversary, and I am here calling for the self-determination referendum For three years, the population has not experienced any change. There has been some change, but they have gone back to a situation of war. How long are we going to have to deal with this war? In 2022, I denounced the fact that persons with disabilities are facing a lot of disadvantage and are being abandoned in Western Sahara. It might be a paradox, but children with disabilities are better cared for in the refugee camps than in Western Sahara under Moroccan occupation. There's a support program, and professors in my university are studying this. They are not complying with the right to education for the population in the occupied areas of Western Sahara. And how long is this going to last? Last year, I brought data on mental health and human rights violations against the Sahari population, but everything's still the same, or it's even got worse, according to some sources. And how long is this going to last? Recently, the UN report on sustainable development did not give Morocco a good rating as to compliance with SDGs 3, 4, and 5. We're seeing a lack of well-being, but not only, we're also seeing a decrease of well-being. Despite moderate improvements, there have been a lot of setbacks with huge pending challenges and stagnation. And this isn't even mentioning measures for persons with disabilities. There's also gender equality. There's still challenges in all the indicators, stagnation, and some are getting worse. For the If things are getting worse for the Moroccan population, I'm sure things are getting worse for even worse for the Sahari population.

The chair would like to remind the petitioner that she must stick to the territory under review this afternoon. You may continue. You have 39 seconds left, says the Chair.

I apologise, says the speaker. I'm asking for the self-determination referendum to be organised so that the Sahrawi people can decide on their future, the future of their country, and to promote sustainable development and for their citizens to recover their dignity and their human rights. Lastly, I recall that the only legal representative here before the United Nations is the Polisario Front. Thank you very much.

The Chair thanks the petitioner and invites Mr. Sergio Ramirez Galindo to address the committee.

Distinguished delegates, I represent the movement for solidarity and friendship with the Sahrawi people of the Canary Islands. It's 50 years since Western Sahara was invaded by the Kingdom of Morocco. Despite the fact that many years have gone by, the situation has not hasn't changed at all. The many attempts by the United Nations, and statements made haven't achieved this either. Special envoys, several special envoys of the UN have tried to improve the situation, have always failed, especially given the intransigence of Morocco and their refusal to recognize the Polisario Front as a valid partner of the Sahrawi people. The Kingdom of Morocco is trying, but not succeeding in getting the international community to recognize their illegal occupation They are only seeing tentative support that is not based on international law. And unfortunately, they using immigration and security, they're not going to achieve what they want. Western Sahara is not Moroccan and it never will be either. Common sense prevails in countries where they understand that international law is the basis of coexistence between countries, despite this failed attempt. and the new world order, the patience of the Sahrawi people has a limit. There are many resolutions of the UN that give the rights to a free and impartial referendum, free of external pressure. Is Morocco scared of having a referendum, or are they scared of the results of such a referendum? It's this committee's obligation to ensure that we do not contribute to perpetuating this genocide. We already have too many today. The population of occupied territories are suffering from the arbitrary nature of occupation. What is the king of Morocco and his government scared of? At the same time, we see theft of the natural resources and and violations of recent rulings by the European Court of Justice.

I have a point of order.

Morocco has requested the floor, says the Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and allow me at the beginning to congratulate you for assuming this chairmanship and also for the way you're taking, you're leading, actually, this meeting. The petitioner who is taking the floor now used this platform to address, to use some unacceptable wordings. First of all, let me just to remind all the petitioners, we're here working in a constructive way and Only the situations being discussed under discussion by this committee needs to be covered by the petitioners. They are here to petition and not to advocate for any propaganda or allegations against my country. The petitioner who took the floor used one of the symbols of the Kingdom of Morocco. He has not the right to mention the king, His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and nor to talk about other things aside from what the matter being under discussion. And just to open a quick parenthesis, it is actually very regretful that the petitioner is saying that nothing has changed for 50 years in the territory, whereas many things actually have changed in the territory. Territory is one of the best actually territories of the Kingdom of Morocco with its social development, with its freedoms, with its democratic participation of the population in democracy. We have seen representatives who have been elected by democratic elections and they are representing in the parliaments, etc., etc., and the is very, very long. We're having universities that do not even exist somewhere else. So actually, he should reorient the discussion into what's going on in the Tinduf camps and to wonder why nothing has changed in those camps for 50 years. So people are being sequestrated there without their will and against their will, actually. And those people who should be the focus of the I thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished delegation of Morocco. Before asking the petitioner to resume his statement, I ask you to please respect the decorum of the Committee and to stick to dealing with the territory under review this afternoon. The petitioner may continue. You have 48 seconds left.

Thank you, Chair. The population of the refugee camps is increasingly suffering from a decrease in international aid. Sahrawi youth are demanding answers, responses and a solution is more and more urgent. Enough of the robbery of their natural resources and assets, enough of political prisoners, them being sentenced, taken away from their families, torture and disappearances. The Canary Islands are not wavering in their support for the independence of Western Sahara. We require a free self-determination referendum. Western Sahara is not Morocco. Thank you very much.

Thank you to the petitioners, Mr. Chair. I now invite Mr. Chris Sassi to address the committee. Microphone for the petitioner, please. microphone for the petitioner please

after half a decade.

Of colonization of the Sahari people this draft resolution of the United Nations to implement the right of the Sahari people to its independent and sovereignty over its territory in full uh Freedom is something that we support we call for the fundamental principles espoused in the UN Charter to be upheld. This is the cornerstone of contemporary international law and in particular the inalienable right of peoples to self-governance. The General Assembly also reiterates its own specific resolutions, resolution 35 of 1995. These specifically, and I say specifically, reaffirm the inalienable right of the Sahari people to self-determination and independence, thus recognizing the legitimacy of their fight and the need for a solution in line with international law. The General Assembly constantly concerned by the military occupation of Western Sahara by the Kingdom of Morocco, since 1995, in flagrant violation of UN resolutions and putting deliberate obstacles in their place, has led to the hampering of the organization of a referendum. But this is something that is clearly stipulated in the UN plan, a plan that was accepted by the two parties to the conflict. Now, of course, once again, we need to reiterate very firmly that Western Sahara remains, in the eyes of international law a non-self-governing territory under article 11 of the chapter and until its people has fully enjoyed its inalienable right for its independence it will not be free therefore the General Assembly is completely acting within its rights and its responsibility in the area of international peace and security and promoting I say promoting the rights of people to self-determination I am just a citizen of the world I am seeking to bring my voice for this people that have been had their voices taken away this people whose children end in jails under the yoke of the military hunter of Morocco it is the or.

The chair interrupts the speaker I give the floor to the distinguished delegation of Morocco Thank you very much, Chair.

The speaker again and here to plead through you, Mr. Chair, that the speakers respect the quorum and respect member states and respect their institutions, including the military institutions. Using some adjectives and also raising the tone doesn't change anything from the fact that the conflict has four parties and not the two parties that, uh, the petitioner is saying. And such statements exceed the mandate of petitioners and undermine objective discourse of petitioning. So this statement veers into political campaigning, actually, rather than factual statements. And we'd like to, again, through you, Mr. Chair, to kindly request all the petitioners to respect this quorum and respect this Assembly and avoid using any terminology that is disrespectful to the petitioners themselves and then to member states. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegation from Morocco, and I give the floor now to the delegation of Algeria on a point of order.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

So since we believe that this session, Mr. Chair, is offered to ensure the opportunity to petitioners.

To make their points regarding Western Sahara, so we'd like to kindly ask you to request to delegations.

To respect the decorum and let the petitioners express their point freely and transparently.

Thank you so much. I thank the delegation of Algeria. I now give the floor to the delegation of Morocco, who have requested it for a second time.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. And I would like to really reassure my brother from Algeria that we do respect the freedom of expression to all the petitioners, and they are here to express themselves within the framework of the mandate they're here for. And I appeal that everyone from the petitioners understand the mandate they are here for, the framework of petitioner aside from propaganda and aside from attacking symbols of member states, attacking the quorum of this meeting, and also using disrespectful terminology that is not agreeable to anyone. So this is just to assure the distinguished representative of Algeria that we are not here to block anyone from petitioner as long as it is respectful of the petitioner mandate that they're having. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegation of Morocco. Before I ask the petitioner to resume her statement, I ask that we respect the decorum of the committee and that we keep to the territory of the discussion. The petitioner may continue. You have 12 seconds left.

Well, 12 seconds isn't very much, but okay. I'd like to reiterate that the EU Court of Justice ruled repeatedly that...

I thank the petitioner. And now I invite Ms. Donna sam's to address the committee. And once again, I'd like to invite remind all petitioners to please make your statement at a reasonable speed for the interpreters so that they can accurately reflect your words. Thank you. And also please uphold decorum in your statements and abstain from discussing situations or territories that do not include the 17 non-self-governing territories on the agenda of the committee, in this case, the territory under review this afternoon. Thank you. Ms. sam's, you have the floor.

Your Excellency, Chairman of the Fourth Committee, distinguished members and guests, as someone who has visited the Swahili and the Tinduf camps on numerous occasions, I I am aware of the harsh conditions there. I've met the people, distributed humanitarian aid, and value their friendship. I would like to see the camp residents resettled in Western Sahara as quickly as possible. Many residents, by their own admission, choose the harsh desert life for themselves and their families. Others have been coerced to the camp by the Polisario's empty promises. Many share stories of being kidnapped and brought there, where they remain. As an outsider, I appreciated learning the motives behind their decision to continue living in such austere conditions, away from family members in Western Sahara. Today, I ask you to take a realistic look at the life of the camp residents, which begs the question, why do they remain in such deplorable conditions with no hope of resolution? In Western Sahara, they would have access to extended family, autonomy over tribal affairs, schools for their children, and freedom to travel as they wish. The tending camps exist to the benefit of the Polisario, who insist on maintaining control with minimal outside interference. This lack of oversight invites mistreatment, corruption through misuse of funds, and diversion of humanitarian aid at all levels, with undue deference given to the leadership and their families without accountability. Who can trust those who profit most from the lack of resolution? Visitors to the camps often see residents portrayed as helpless individuals needing aid, yet large portions of that aid are sold on the black market and for the benefit of the policerio. They have much to gain by maintaining the current arrangement. For almost 50 years, humanitarian aid agencies have based their work on inflated numbers provided by the Polisario. Excess aid intended for the residents has been found in other North African countries, as documented by the 2014 European Anti-Fraud Office. The Polisario undermines itself when it asks for governments and NGOs, yet refuses to allow anyone to conduct a census to those under its supervision. Any agency sending aid under such conditions does it so at its own peril. The World Food Program recently requested a head count of camp residents. So far, the Polisario has made no effort to collect data. Since they have declined to act, I request that the UN or independent agencies designated by the UN provide a head count and audit conditions in the camps to truly.

I thank the petitioner and I invite Ms. Salma Abdelfattah to address the committee.

Good afternoon, Mr. President, members of the chair, ladies and gentlemen.

I'm Salma Abdelfattah, speaking on behalf of the Sahrawi youth. Today, I bring the message of my people, a message.

Written and far too often left unread, free from distortion or self-interest.

As a daughter of the diaspora, I carry the.

Same indignations and resilience that our parents and grandparents have carried across generations. On which side of history will this institution choose to stand?

On the side of passivity, hidden in the comfort of inaction? or on the side of its promise to uphold the will of oppressed people.

I echo the words of your Excellency, Mr. Antonio Gutierrez. The situation is of grave concern. The most?

Concerning part is to even consider the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco, which goes against every moral and every commitment of this institution.

The only fair and lasting solution is the plan of self-determination, as established in the UN Charter and the Constitutive.

Act of the African Union, with its true representative, the Polisario Front.

Your Excellencies, if Morocco is so certain that the Sahrawi people wish to belong to its sovereignty, then why has Morocco perpetually blocked the holding of a referendum?

In the absence of decisive actions, the occupying state wastes no time in intensifying the exploitation of our lands. Exploring the resources.

Of an occupied territory is not an investment, is an act of disposition and a clear violation of international law.

Associating this project with so-called green energy does not in any way justify their implementation.

Those initiatives labeled as green are such only in name, much like the so-called Green March, which ended up being one of the darkest chapters in the history of the region.

Indeed, hiding misery under the spotlight seems to be Morocco's favorite occupation. They silenced the voice of those who raise up, and no one who's opposed to the monarchy is spared, not even their own people, as recent.

Protests have shown.

I would like to interrupt the speaker because of a point of order. I give the floor to the representative of Morocco.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and apologies to interrupt the discussions again. I really started, you know, while listening to this statement with the hope that as a representative of youth, we'd speak with the rationale that is needed and to speak about the oppressed youth in the Tindouf camps and to think about a better future and brighter future, just like the youth in the Moroccan Sahara. But anyway, she's going again with the propaganda discussions and even saying that her real representative is the so-called Polisario, I wonder when she elected that Polisario. When is that being even, it's not even realistic. But anyway, she, I am interrupting her just because, again, she mentioned one of the symbols of the Kingdom of Morocco. And through you again, Mr. Chair, I appeal that all petitioners stick to the language and the respect of the quorum and not mention anything else aside from the matter under discussion. And we all know what the symbols are. So if you want me, Mr. Chair, I can cite them there or we can listen and then continue interrupting if the petitioner goes beyond the mandate they're here for, which is to petitioner. Thank you.

I thank the representative of Morocco, and I give the floor to South Africa.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to Morocco for the intervention. We understand the need for decorum, however, we would also ask the Kingdom of Morocco not to denigrate any of the petitioners that are here today. Many petitioners have traveled from far and wide to come today to address this committee, and we understand the need to intervene when certain words are stated by petitioners.

However, we would call for the Kingdom of Morocco to not.

Place any negative connotations on persons or petitioners that are coming before this committee.

Thank you.

I thank the representative of South Africa, and I give the floor to Algeria.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Just also here to echo the comments made by my colleague from South Africa, just to clarify.

To my sister from Morocco that this session is dedicated to hear the petitioners and we need.

To listen to them.

I mean, let them.

Say what they have to say and express their position and not interrupt them every time that you hear.

Something that you don't want to listen.

So just would like to, once again, Chair.

To ask you kindly to ask the representative of Morocco to respect the decorum and let the people intervene freely.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

I'd like to thank Algeria. I give the floor back to Morocco.

Thank you very much. I think that the irony is very evident. We didn't interrupt those who spoke before, only those who are going beyond the mandate, which is to petition. Just to answer, Mr. Chair, to the -- to react to the representative of South Africa, who used a very difficult word. We are not here to denigrate anyone. This is a very huge and big verb. We're not doing that here. We are respectful, and we do not by no means denigrate anyone. We do not belittle anyone. We are here to listen to each other in a framework of constructive -- in a constructive framework, and we do understand that the petitioners are here to petition and we do not know from where they know they're coming from because South Africa is saying that they're coming from far away I'm not aware of any flight tickets or anything else I am just here concentrating on the statements that I hear inside this room aside from that I'm not aware of that so uh if South Africa knows more we can discuss that uh aside but this is not the topic Mr. chair the topic here is that the representative of the young petitioner mentioned the king of Morocco. And we're not here discussing the kingdom or the king or the king institutions. We are here to discuss a matter that is in front of everyone here in the room. I thank you.

I thank the representative of.

The Kingdom of Morocco. I would like to ask you to trust me for more than two hours. I have been chairing this meeting. We just have about half an hour. I think we can continue cordially and in a civilised manner, since we have done from the start of this meeting. Before I give the floor to the petitioner, I would like to remind the petitioner to respect the quorum within this committee and to stick to the subject under discussion. I give the floor to the petitioner, who has 49 seconds. Thank you.

Chair, here we have a clear example of my point.

This alone speaks volumes about the violence inflicted on the Sahrawi people for decades.

Is it urgent, Mr. Chair.

We are going to interrupt this statement. I give the floor to the representative of Morocco.

Mr. Chair, again, I kindly ask through you that the petitioners stick to the petition that they are having. They are not here to comment member states' point of orders. I am not a clear example of anything. I am here correcting the petition of the petitioner who went outside the framework. The young petitioner is free to talk about whatever she wants, but within the respect of the quorum, the things that you said, Mr. Chair, from the beginning, respecting the quorum, respecting member states. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Morocco. I'll give the floor back to the petitioner. And if the statement does not stick to the territories under review, then I will move straight on to the next speaker on my list. You have the floor for 36 seconds.

Urgent to achieve a lasting political solution, and it must be done without delay. Because the living condition in the Tinduf refugee camp have reached a critical point, and demand an immediate response from the international community.

For future generations, growing up under occupation is no longer an option.

Growing up without freedom and the private of fundamental rights is no longer an option.

My generation is more than ready to build a better future for our homeland. And let us remember that no border can stop an idea without justice.

I thank the petitioner. And now I invite Mr. Mahmoud Abdelfattah Sheikh Mohamed to address the committee.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Mahmoud Abdelfattah. I'm from Spain. Today we are meeting for yet another year, disappointed in international organizations and their position on Western Sahara. This fourth committee has not put sufficient pressure on Morocco to get them to comply with international law. The Sahrawi in the area occupied by Morocco are humiliated, destitute on their own land, without any right to defend themselves, and they are political prisoners. don't have any defense either. Our people, under their champion, the Polisario Front, are waging a just fight, and we recall that this conflict is a matter of decolonization. recognized by the United Nations Charter since 1963. We express our profound concern and disagreement with any initiative that deviates from international legal frameworks and relevant resolutions of international law, as well as General Assembly resolutions of the United Nations. We underscore and emphasize the fact that any solution imposed unilaterally without the free and authentic consent of our people is in violation of the principles of international law. We strongly reject all proposals that seek to remove the right to organize a free and fair referendum and replace them with formulae that do not respect the will of the Sahrawi people. We call upon countries to not engage in measures that perpetuate Morocco's occupation or that deviate from the right to self-determination. One of these countries is the current Spanish Government, which first of all must present its annual report to this fourth committee. As we all know, Spain has its own historic responsibility in this tragic situation, and it is trying to get involved instead in other conflicts. They have called out the genocide in Gaza. We applaud that because we've suffered this ourselves. But I'm wondering, why aren't they so brave when it comes to the Western Sahara? Because we have been living this for more than 80 years. And even Spain is even supporting the Moroccan invader. It's a selective genocide being carried out by an undemocratic, authoritarian regime, the Moroccan regime. Long live free Western Sahara and long live Palestine. Thank you.

The Chair thanks the petitioner. And now I give the floor, says the Chair, to the delegation of Morocco.

Thank you very much again. And Mr. Chair, I'm taking the floor just because of the last sentence that the petitioner is using. I think that this is, again, disrespectful to this room. Here we are member states. And if the petitioner doesn't know the names of member states, please refer them to the UN Blue Book or somewhere else, because this is the Kingdom of Morocco. It's not the regime of whatever they're having in their mind. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegation of Morocco. And I remind all speakers of the need to uphold decorum when taking the floor. I now invite Mr. Abdul Basit Patinatar Kasid Ibrahim to address the committee. Please go ahead, sir.

Of the United Nations, ladies and gentlemen,

Peace is beautiful. Embrace it. Let's unite to reject violence in any form. On the role of the United Nations, it's brutally simple. It's now or never. The violent path of Polisario has no place in this modern world. Morocco's autonomy plan is the best peaceful political solution.

It inaugurates a new

era in which there is room for everyone, and in which everyone can prosper in peace and harmony. For more than half a century, under the Polisario abuse, the Sahrawis have been detained in the Tindouf camps without a home, electricity, clean water, medical care, or right to good education.

Our consciousness should be challenged seeing the suffering of the people in these camps. Polisario need to understand their military path is over, and they have lost all credibility and claim to represent the Sahrawis.

majority of the Sahrawis now consider themselves as proud citizens of Morocco.

Polisario today represents only a fraction of the population.

Even this fraction of population will be departing them soon if they continue on this violent path. Innocent people under Polisario have only seen destruction and ruins in this last 50 years of being in exile. Morocco's autonomy plan should be explored as a realistic starting point for compromise and peace. Polisario organization has failed to achieve any of its founding goals over the past five decades of struggle. Morocco's autonomy plan is both brave and right.

Polisario no longer speaks for all Sahrawis.

Almost all of the international support from the Western countries like USA, UK, France, Spain, and the developing nation is for Morocco's autonomy plan. This should encourage the Security Council to move forward in recognizing Morocco's Sahara autonomy plan.

No separatist terrorist movement of mercenaries, trained and armed, should be in a position to combat the forces

of a democratically elected government. The Sahrawis living in the camps are victims of frequent shootings, intimidations, and violent reprisals.

These are flagrant violations of most fundamental human rights that can no longer be ignored. I demand the immediate intervention of the United Nations to protect civilian refugees held hostage by the Polisario. History will not be lenient with those who, at a crucial moment like this, choose silence or inaction. Morocco is a great nation giving dignity and stability to the entire region and its people. This includes the Sahrawi population too, as Morocco is Sahara, Sahara is Morocco. Sahrawi people are Moroccans by history, nationality, blood, and family. And their land has always remained with Morocco and past, present, and the future.

Long live His Majesty, the King Mohammed VI.

I thank the petitioner. and I now invite mr. Juan Francisco Soror Italy's eras to address the committee

Thank You chairman every day it's harder for me to teach my students because today the fact is international law is so essential today and so is the United Nations and when it comes to the work of this committee the fourth committee This has been the main driving force of decolonization in the world and has been really one of the greatest successes of the United Nations in its 80 years of existence. Turning to Western Sahara, since Spain joined the United Nations in 1955, the committee has urged Spain to stop exploiting their natural resources and to stop making economic investments on this territory. First of all, Spain Since 1986, when Spain joined the EU, the European Union has been illegally exploiting the natural resources of Western Sahara. In 2012, the Polisario Front took a case to the European Court of Justice over exploitation and fishing, given the agreements being made in Western Sahara without the consent of the Sahrawi people. Since then, there have been 10 rulings handed down by the European Court of Justice. have established something that everyone knew in international law, that Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory. Therefore, it is not part of Morocco. And as a result, the above-mentioned agreement to do not benefit from the consent of the Sahrawi people. This consent can only be manifested through the Polisario Front, through a referendum that Morocco is preventing and is recognized by the United Nations as the only legitimate representative of Western Sahara, just to recall that once again. This same week, the European Union, given these rulings, said it's making steps to improve this, to comply with these rulings. made by its own legal body. I am proud of the impeccable work carried out by the Fourth Committee since it was created to put an end to colonialism in all its forms across the world. I sincerely hope that it will be able to continue to do this. especially when it comes to Western Sahara, which is the last colonized territory in Africa. And I hope that it will be able to come another member state of the United Nations and will contribute to more credibility in international law and the United Nations, which today is being called into question. We are here before the Decolonization Committee, and I call upon you to comply with your ultimate objective, which is to achieve the decolonization of Western Sahara. And I really hope that I haven't offended anyone saying this. Thank you very much.

I give the floor to the petitioner, and now I give the floor to Ms Marta Carreir Palau to address the committee.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm addressing you representing the Balearic Islands Parliament to talk about an injustice that has gone on now for too many years. Western Sahara, since 1963, has been a territory pending decolonization, and since 1965, Morocco has been illegally occupying it, gravely violating the United Nations Charter and international law. 2025 is not just yet another year. It's the 50th anniversary since the beginning of the Green March conflict, half a century of occupation, half a century of repression, half a century in which the Sahrawi people are aspiring to exercise their basic right, their right to self-determination. Over these 50 years of occupation by Morocco, we have seen constant human rights violations, exploitation of natural resources and repression against those that raise their voices against this. These are not isolated crimes, they are international crimes. It's necessary to toughen our demands in calling for compliance with the 1991 and other resolutions of the Security Council. The United Nations does act in response to conflicts, but after 50 years and given the current political context, it is absolutely essential to activate new mechanisms that will guarantee compliance with the agreements and resolutions. It is the responsibility, the urgent responsibility, of all States of the United Nations. I want to be clear with Spain, the administrative power. Let us not forget this. If they exercised the same toughness against Morocco as they are doing now against Israel when it comes to Gaza, we wouldn't see this illegal occupation. We cannot have double standards when it comes to assessing international law. Western Sahara must not continue to be an exception. The Spanish state is the one that is mainly responsible, and they can enable them to be a free people, and they must assume the leadership and the political drive required to ensure that UN resolutions are abided by. The Sahrawi people are not asking for any type of privileges. What they're asking for is justice to put an end to Morocco's occupation, Morocco's looting and pillaging, and for their right to self-determination to be recognized. The United Nations must rise to the promises of its own charter that is soon to be 80 years old. International pressure will be decisive in putting the Spanish state back on the track of the United Nations and supporting the referendum for the Sوري people. That's the only solution. The solution is not just letting time go by. It is rather complying with United Nations resolutions. Thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner. We're reaching the end of this afternoon's meeting. And we will hear from the last petitioner for this afternoon's meeting now. And it is Mr. Miguel Angel Rodriguez-Maquey.

President, I've come from Lima, Peru as a professor in international law and international politics. The case of the Sahara is a bilateral dispute between Morocco and its eastern neighbor. who have decided to block the territorial integrity of the kingdom the United Nations through its secretary-general and its envoys have continuously stated that this is a regional dispute between Morocco and its eastern neighbor alone however this is being this reality is being denied. In fact, the most recent reports of the UN Secretary General on the Sahara have emphasized concern over the breakdown of diplomatic relations between Morocco and its eastern neighbor. This is a constant position, and they have been the main obstacle to the peace process. and have posed stumbling blocks. Chair, the eastern neighbour of Morocco is intruding in this regional conflict and are not recognised by the UN or international law. Let us open our eyes. This is an instrument against Morocco's and UN's efforts to establish peace and stability in Africa. We need to say this to the whole world, that Morocco's eastern neighbor for 50 years has been waging a diplomatic campaign against the kingdom and politically blocking the question of Moroccan Sahara. While Morocco's eastern neighbor is acting in bad faith, The Kingdom of Morocco is committed to

the chair interrupts the speaker. Please, sir, can you uphold decorum here in this meeting? There's no need to shout here in the room. Thank you very much. You have 46 seconds. You may continue.

Thank you very much, Chairman. So the world needs to know that while Morocco has always advocated reaching out to its eastern neighbor to resolve this conflict, Their neighbor hasn't taken this hand, and this is the difference between the two. Finally, Chairman, since in 2025 we are seeing the 50th anniversary of this conflict, the eastern neighbor of Morocco shouldn't turn its back on this problem. They shouldn't turn their back on Morocco and the Sahari people. That is what we are seeing. Thank you very much.

I thank the petitioner. We have run out of time for this afternoon's meeting. Given that we have a long list of petitioners waiting to take the floor before the committee, we ask the petitioners whom we have heard from today to please kindly follow the rest of the debates online on the UN webcast, webtv.un.org. This will facilitate the efficient and smooth participation of the rest of the petitioners in person here in the room. The Committee will come back tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday the 9th of October to continue hearing from petitioners on the question of Western Sahara. The meeting is adjourned.