Western Sahara: ​​UNGA Reaffirms Support for Political Process

Rabat – The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a resolution reiterating its endorsement of the political process led by the UN Security Council for the resolution of the dispute over Western Sahara.

The resolution solidifies the stance taken by the UNGA’s Fourth Committee last October, which steered the focus toward a diplomatic resolution and steered away from the notion of a referendum.

The resolution urges all involved parties to engage fully with the UN Secretary-General and his special envoy, working towards a diplomatic solution based on resolutions passed by the Security Council since 2007.

The endorsement of a political process, grounded in the 19 resolutions from the Security Council, aims at achieving a “fair, sustainable, and mutually agreeable” resolution to the Sahara question.

This resolution, echoing its predecessors and those passed by the Security Council over the past two decades, also omits any mention of the referendum.

The General Assembly has supported the Security Council resolutions since 2007, which have endorsed the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco.

The initiative has been recognized by the executive body and the international community as a serious and credible proposal to settle the regional dispute.

Earlier this year, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2703, which reaffirmed the significance of the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative and called on all parties to the dispute to participate in the political process.

Despite this, Algeria continues to shrug off its responsibility in the dispute, claiming to be a neutral observer despite hosting, financing, and arming the separatist Polisario Front.