In a joint statement to the UN body in response to a biased approach of Algeria to mislead the HRC debates, Morocco, supported by fifteen countries, denounced the “maneuvers aimed at politicizing our discussions and undermining the noble purpose of promoting and protecting human rights”.
This joint statement was presented notably on behalf of Guinea, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Central African Republic, Comoros, Oman, KSA, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait and Morocco.
“The Kingdom of Morocco is conducting pioneering democratic reforms in the African region and the MENA region, which contributed to the promotion of the area of human rights and freedoms on its entire territory, including the Sahara region”, the statement said.
The signatories affirmed that the Moroccan civil society and the National Human Rights Council (French acronym-CNDH) “play a central role in deepening the democratic experience.”
They also recalled that the UN Security Council recognized the importance of this role and the action of the regional commissions of CNDH in the southern regions of Laayoune and Dakhla, as part of the efforts aimed at promoting and protecting human rights in the Sahara.
Mr. Aujjar stressed in this context that the call for the publication of a report on this mission is a political maneuver aimed at politicizing this technical mission and creating a debate on the political question of the Sahara within the Council, while it is directly managed by the security Council. The Algerian approach, he explained, for information on the disarray of Algeria after its repeated failure and frustration with respect to the growth momentum in the region, especially after the recent royal visit in the Saharan provinces marked by the launch of development projects able to shine on the local, national and regional levels.
Mr. Aujjar said that parallel to its cooperation with OHCHR, Morocco maintains a positive interaction with the special procedures of the Council. Indeed, eleven UN procedures visited the Kingdom, including the Saharan cities of the Kingdom where they had free access and total for all stakeholders and representatives of civil society. He also highlighted numerous development projects initiated in the Sahara region in sectors such as infrastructure, roads, agriculture, fisheries, academics and health.
"The support and participation of local people in development projects as well as their strong participation in national and local elections are the best proof of their commitment to unity and territorial integrity of the country," he concluded.
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