New York (United States) 26 September 2024 (SPS) – During the high-level general debate of the 79th regular session of the UN General Assembly, several heads of state and delegation leaders reaffirmed their countries' strong support for the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination.
Dr. Nangolo Mbumba, President of the Republic of Namibia, emphasized that it is an insult to the UN Charter, its purposes, and principles that the people of Western Sahara continue to be denied their right to self-determination. He urged the current General Assembly session to do more to change this situation.
Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, called for the aspirations of the Sahrawi people for self-determination to be realized.
On his side, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, reaffirmed his country’s steady stance on the Western Sahara conflict and its support for UN efforts and all relevant Security Council resolutions aimed at finding a sustainable and widely accepted solution.
ON another hand, Frederick Makamure Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Zimbabwe, speaking on behalf of Zimbabwean President Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa, reaffirmed his country's commitment to supporting the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination, stressing that the time for mere rhetoric has passed.
Yván Gil Pinto, Minister of the People's Power for Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, expressed his country's solidarity and strong support for all peoples struggling for their inalienable right to self-determination, full independence, and control over their own destiny, territories, and resources. He emphasized that the time has come for the aspirations of our brothers and sisters in Western Sahara for freedom to finally be realized.
The 79th regular session of the United Nations General Assembly commenced at the UN headquarters on September 10 under the theme: "Unity in Diversity: For Peace, Sustainable Development, and Human Dignity for All, Everywhere."
In his latest report on "The Question of Western Sahara," dated July 24, 2024, and submitted to the 79th session of the General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General noted that the General Assembly's Fourth Committee on Special Political and Decolonization Issues, as well as the Special Committee on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, continue to address Western Sahara as a decolonization issue. (SPS)
TR- 090/500/60 (SPS)