Brussels, April 01, 2016 (SPS) – the president of the European Coordination of support and solidarity with Sahrawi people (Eucoco), Mr Pierre Galand has sent letter to Members of the UN Security Council urging them to include human rights in MINURSO’s mandate in Western Sahara, in a letter a copy of which obtained by SPS.
¨We therefore urge Security Council Members to include human rights in MINURSO’s mandate when it is revised in April. This will enable the UN to assess conditions on the ground and advance in its mission to organize the referendum on self-determination, thereby contributing to the final resolution of the dispute over Western Sahara through the application of international law in accordance with the United Nations Charter and human rights treaties.¨ Pierre Galand said in his letter
He recalled that MINURSO is currently one of the few UN Peacekeeping Missions that does not have a mandate to monitor human rights, adding that the need for this mandate is clear and cannot be ignored.
Eucoco president went on saying MINURSO’s mandate must be extended to include the monitoring of human rights. We believe that without it, the Saharawi people will not be able to freely express themselves, nor exercise their right to demonstrate. Most importantly, they will not be able to participate fully in the free and fair exercise of self-determination, which is universally agreed to be their right under international law.SPS
125/090/TRA