Geneva (Switzerland), March 4, 2025 (SPS) – The Geneva Support Group for Western Sahara, a coalition of countries formed in the UN Human Rights Council to support the Sahrawi people, expressed its “deep concern about the ongoing Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara and emphasized that depriving the Sahrawi people of its right to self-determination constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and human rights.”
In its intervention before the UN Human Rights Council, “the Group noted that ‘Western Sahara has remained under Moroccan occupation since 1975, despite repeated calls from the United Nations General Assembly since 1965 to end colonialism in the region,’ highlighting that ‘the right to self-determination is the cornerstone upon which all other rights are built, and denying it constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law.’”
In this regard, the Geneva Group emphasized that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) continues to be denied access to the occupied territories of Western Sahara for the 9th consecutive year, despite repeated official requests and despite the Security Council's request in its Resolution 2703 (2023) to “facilitate such visits and improve cooperation with international human rights mechanisms.”
