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Join on Telegram Rabat – A high-level Moroccan delegation is participating in the regional seminar of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24), taking place between May 21 and 23 in Dili, Timor-Leste.
The event is an opportunity for the delegation to share recent developments on the Western Sahara issue with the committee and other participants. The delegation is set to recall the growing international support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for the Sahara, which is now backed by more than 117 countries, over 60% of them being UN member states.
Morocco will also note the increasing international recognition of its sovereignty over the Sahara. This includes the strong support of key countries such as the United States and France, both permanent members of the UN Security Council which are involved in drafting its resolutions on the Sahara.
The delegation is led by Omar Hilale, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, and Ridouane Houssaini, Morocco’s Ambassador to Indonesia.
It also includes senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Vice-President of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS).
The Moroccan delegation is also set to present major progress achieved in the Moroccan southern provinces under the new development model King Mohammed VI launched in 2015. This program, with a budget exceeding $10 billion, has reached advanced levels of implementation.
The seminar will also allow the Moroccan delegation to reaffirm Algeria’s key role in the continuation of the Sahara dispute. The delegation will explain Algeria’s historical and political responsibility, as recognized by several UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2756 adopted in October 2024.
Two elected representatives from the Moroccan southern provinces in Western Sahara are also participating in the event, including Ghella Bahiya from the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region and M’hamed Abba from the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region. They were invited by the Chair of the Committee.
MoroccO’s Sahara position has been enjoying international momentum, with a growing number of countries backing the Moroccan autonomy plan as the most suitable solution to the dispute, as well as recognizing the country’s sovereignty over its southern provinces.
