“The political process led under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General and facilitated by his Personal Envoy, supported by all UN member states, cannot remain hostage to the stubbornness and intransigence of a single country, at the expense of regional stability,” stressed Majda Moutchou, Morocco’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, during the ordinary session of the C24, held from June 9 to 20.
She stated that this is the conclusion reached by the international community, including the majority of the permanent members of the Security Council, adding that it is regrettable that some parties continue to politically exploit the Moroccan Sahara issue for interests that have nothing to do with the principles of self-determination.
“A neighboring country, the main party to this regional dispute, claims to defend the right to self-determination, yet for decades has blocked any realistic and constructive solution by manipulating the principles of the UN Charter for political and hegemonic purposes,” she declared.
She further criticized this country for mobilizing significant diplomatic and financial resources to fuel division and separatism, while remaining conspicuously silent on other issues on the Committee’s agenda.
“This selective attitude reveals its true motivations and clearly demonstrates a deliberate attempt to derail the UN political process in favor of a strategy aimed at regional instability,” Moutchou added.
The Moroccan diplomat also highlighted the positive international momentum in favor of a political, realistic, pragmatic, and lasting solution based on compromise, centered around the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative.
Praised by the UN Security Council since it was submitted in 2007, the initiative is recognized as a concrete response to the international community’s expectations, fully aligned with relevant UN resolutions. She reminded the Committee that the initiative now has the support of over 118 countries across all regions of the world, including the former colonial power of the region and three permanent members of the Security Council.
Moutchou also pointed out a fundamental contradiction in the C24 discussions, which continue to wrongly frame the Sahara issue as a decolonization case. “This does not reflect the historical reality, the facts on the ground, the evolution of the issue within the Security Council, nor the majority opinion of the international community, including the many countries that have spoken before this Committee,” she explained.
She reminded the Committee that the C24, tasked with implementing Resolution 1514, adopted on December 14, 1960, must take into account the evolution of legal concepts and international law mechanisms. She stressed that it cannot fulfill its mandate effectively while ignoring key implementation tools, notably Resolution 1541, adopted the day after Resolution 1514, which explicitly states that autonomy is a legitimate form of self-determination.
Contrary to the narrow ideological interpretations promoted by a handful of countries, she noted, self-determination does not equate systematically to independence. Under international law, it can be exercised through internal autonomy within a broader sovereign framework, she said.
This is precisely the realistic approach proposed by Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative, which offers a framework for advanced self-governance, while respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco.
She emphasized that this approach is clearly supported by the populations of the Moroccan Sahara, as evidenced by their strong participation in national, regional, and local elections, and their involvement in the region’s economic, social, and cultural development. This active participation reflects their adherence to Morocco’s institutional framework and must be recognized as such by the Committee.
In conclusion, Moutchou called on the Committee to align itself with the Security Council’s direction and recognize the clear and consensual path taken by the international community by supporting a realistic autonomy-based approach.
“The time has come for the C24 to adopt a courageous stance on the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, in line with United Nations principles. A political solution to this dispute can only emerge within this framework, and not through a distorted and manipulated interpretation of the right to self-determination,” the Moroccan diplomat concluded.