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UNGA reaffirms legal status of Western Sahara as decolonization issue, responsibility of UN towards Sahrawi people

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New York (UN), 12 December 2020 (SPS) - The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday unanimously approved a new resolution calling for the completion of the decolonization process in Western Sahara.
The resolution affirmed the United Nations responsibility towards the people of Western Sahara, waiting to be enabled to exercise its right to self-determination and independence.
The resolution welcomed the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to find a solution that would ensure the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
The General Assembly supports the process of negotiations initiated under Security Council Resolution 1754 to find a solution that will ensure the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara and commends the efforts of the Secretary-General and his personal envoy for Western Sahara in this regard.
The resolution called on the two parties - Morocco and the Polisario Front - to cooperate with the International Committee of the Red Cross, and urged them to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.
The resolution requested the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to continue to consider the situation in Western Sahara and to submit a report thereon to the General Assembly at its 76th session.
The resolution finally called on the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its 76th session on the implementation of the resolution. (SPS)
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