New York (United Nations), 17 April 2024 (SPS) - The UN Security Council held closed consultations yesterday, Tuesday, under the presidency of Malta, regarding the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), in accordance with Resolution 2703 (2023) adopted by the Security Council on October 30 of last year.
Council members listened to a briefing by the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, in which he informed them of the results of his contacts and consultations with various parties concerned and international actors in the conflict.
The head of the MINURSO mission also presented an overview of the situation on the ground.
Many member states emphasized in their statements the necessity of achieving a peaceful, just, and lasting solution that guarantees the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination based on relevant United Nations resolutions, and the need for MINURSO to fully carry out its mandate. This reaffirms once again that the exercise of the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination and independence remains the only way to achieve a fair and lasting solution and to establish peace and security in the region.
Member states expressed concern about the continued inability of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit the occupied Sahrawi territories due to the refusal of the Moroccan occupying state. It is worth mentioning once again the necessity of expediting the establishment of an independent and permanent UN mechanism to monitor and report on human rights in the region.
According to the agenda of the United Nations Security Council for the month of April, under the rotating presidency of Malta, the holding of consultations is in line with Resolution 2703, which renewed the mandate of the MINURSO mission for another year until October 31, 2024.