New York, 9 November 2026 (SPS) – The Global Monitoring Centre (GMC) has called on the UN Security Council to take urgent action towards ending the occupation of Western Sahara, warning that recent developments threaten the credibility of the United Nations and undermine the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination.
In a statement issued on 6 November, the independent policy-monitoring organisation expressed deep concern over the Security Council's failure on 30 October to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
The Centre welcomed the positions of Russia, China and Pakistan in support of the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination, as well as Somalia's opposition to any attempt to prejudge negotiations between the Polisario Front and Morocco.
It criticised what it described as the Council's bias towards the Moroccan autonomy proposal, warning that such an approach undermines the neutrality of the political process and raises serious concerns about double standards and the credibility of the international organisation.
The statement recalled the 1975 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which found no ties of territorial sovereignty between Morocco and Western Sahara that could affect the application of the principle of self-determination.
The Centre reaffirmed that a free and transparent referendum under UN supervision remains the legitimate mechanism for determining the territory's final status, rejecting imposed autonomy arrangements and political deals that perpetuate foreign occupation.
It also urged the Security Council to establish an alternative monitoring mechanism to protect Sahrawi civilians and the territory's natural resources following the non-renewal of MINURSO's mandate. It further called on the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council to ensure independent monitoring of human rights in the occupied territories.
The Centre welcomed the UN General Assembly meeting scheduled for 10 November, stressing that any future roadmap must guarantee the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination in accordance with the UN Charter and relevant resolutions.
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