Washington, April 25, 2014 (SPS) - The U.S. Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center) has called upon the Security Council of the UN to add a human rights monitoring mechanism to the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), when the Council votes to renew its mandate.
In a letter sent Thursday to all members of the UN Security Council, RFK Center President Mrs. Kerry Kennedy stated that her ONG’s periodic report on Western Sahara indicates that, to this day, the Moroccan government continues systematic violations of the basic human rights of the Sahrawi people, confirming that only “a permanent independent monitoring mechanism could ensure accountability for these violations.”
Regretting for the fact that the MINURSO reauthorization draft does not include a human rights monitoring mechanism, Mrs. Kennedy urged the Security Council to amend the reauthorization resolution to include such a mechanism, adding that MINURSO is the only modern peacekeeping mission without a human rights monitoring and reporting mandate.
“Including a human rights monitoring mechanism is the best way to ensure that the rights of the Sahrawi people are protected while the parties continue to look for a political resolution to the dispute,” stated the letter.
If there is not enough support for a human rights mandate within MINURSO, stated the letter, it is imperative that the reauthorizing resolution contain language reflecting the increasing concern of the international community regarding violations in Western Sahara, and provide for a mechanism to monitor and report on human rights on a continual basis.
It is noteworthy that the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon has highlighted, in his report regarding the situation concerning Western Sahara submitted to the Security Council, that the end goal for the UN remain a “sustained, independent and impartial” human rights monitoring mechanism to be established in Western Sahara.
Noting that Western Sahara is registered on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories since 1963, Ban highlighted that the efforts of the United Nations, through the work of the Personal Envoy, Special Representative and MINURSO, will remain “highly relevant until its final status is established.” (SPS)
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