New York (United Nations), August 24, 2025 (SPS) – In his annual report on Western Sahara, which he submitted during the 80th session of the General Assembly, UN Secretary-General António Guterres referred to a letter sent by UN special mechanisms to Morocco on March 20, 2025.
The letter included "concerns about human rights violations associated with coastal development projects involving large-scale land acquisition, destruction of private property, and displacement" (paragraph 25).
These projects are considered an extension of settlement policies aimed at changing the demographic and economic character of the occupied territory.
Observers believe this UN documentation is new evidence of the illegal nature of the exploitation of Sahrawi natural resources by the occupying state and its foreign partners, given the absence of "the consent of the Sahrawi people."
This is a principle that the European Court of Justice affirmed in its 2021 and 2024 rulings when it deemed the fisheries and agriculture agreements between the European Union and Morocco null and void for failing to consult the Sahrawi people and their sole legitimate representative, the Polisario Front, who are the rightful owners and de facto sovereigns in Western Sahara.
This UN reference serves as a reminder to the international community that the exploitation of resources without consulting the Sahrawi people is a blatant violation of the principle of the permanent sovereignty of peoples over their natural resources, as stipulated in UN resolutions, especially General Assembly Resolution 1803 (XVII).
In light of these findings, the Polisario Front demands an end to all economic activities and foreign investments in the occupied territories until the Sahrawi people are able to exercise their right to self-determination and full sovereignty over their natural resources.
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