Human rights monitoring negotiations on-going at UN: Take Action!
The Group of Friends of Western Sahara – the United States, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Russia – are currently locked in negotiations at the UN to determine the mandate for MINURSO, the peacekeeping operation in Western Sahara and the Saharawi refugee camps outside Tindouf, Algeria.
In a historic step, the U.S. has written a draft resolution calling for a human rights monitoring and reporting mechanism to be implemented for the first time since 1991, when MINURSO was first established.
This move is to be applauded, and American leadership on promoting human rights in Western Sahara has been widely praised.
However, we are still far from achieving human rights monitoring in Western Sahara. In previous years, the French Government have acted to protect the Moroccan Government – their key ally – in blocking attempts to protect the human rights of the Saharawi people.
It is highly likely that the French negotiating team will pursue the same strategy this year. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that you take action to call on all states in the Group of Friends of Western Sahara to maintain their commitment to protecting the human rights of the Saharawi people in the face of French and Moroccan pressure and lobbying.
TAKE ACTION!
Join Western Sahara Action Forum in emailing to demand that the UN lives up to its legal and moral responsibilities and monitors human rights violations in Western Sahara:
Suggested text (if you have time to personalise and send individually please do, otherwise BCC to all email addresses)
“Hon. Ambassador,
Following the UN Secretary General’s recognition of the need for ‘independent, impartial, comprehensive and sustained monitoring of the human rights situations in both Western Sahara and the camps’ please ensure this is included within the upcoming resolution on Western Sahara.
Human rights violations against Saharawi who question the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara are commonplace. This was recently confirmed by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez’ who reported torture, ill treatment, excessive force and kidnappings used to intimidate protestors. The Secretary General’s comments strengthen the calls of numerous human rights organisations, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mr Mendez who recommended a ‘robust regional inter-governmental human rights monitoring mechanism’ in the Territory.
The language on human rights included in the 2011 resolution completely failed to provide an understanding of the torture and ill-treatment including rape, beatings, extreme violence and arbitrary arrest and detention regularly reported in Western Sahara. The Security Council must not permit Morocco to maintain its illegal occupation though a strategy of violence and terror. The people of Western Sahara urgently need permanent, independent human rights monitoring that reports directly to the UN Security Council. This is essential to gain a transparent and comprehensive understanding of human rights in the Territory.
Please fulfil your duty to the people of Western Sahara and ensure this is included in the upcoming resolution.
Yours sincerely
[NAME]
The Western Sahara Action Forum (WSAF) is a new international coalition of organisations spread across Europe, North America and Asia, formed as a result of growing international concern about the human rights situation in Western Sahara.”
Contact details: Hon. Ambassador Susan E. Rice (US), USUNPublicAffairs@state.gov H.E. Sir Mark Lyall Grant (UK) UK@UN.int H.E. Mr. Fernando Arias (Spain) Rep.nuevayorkonu@maec.es H.E. Gérard Araud (France) france@franceonu.org H.E. Mr Vitaly Churkin(Russia) rusun@un.int
H.E. Mr Eugene-Richard Gasana (Rwanda, and Security Council President) ambanewyork@minaffet.gov.rw
Help us grow the campaign. Please email info@wsaforum.org to be added to our mailing list and find us on Twitter and Facebook.
WESTERN SAHARA CAMPAIGN UK
The Western Sahara Campaign works in solidarity with the Saharawi people to generate political support in order to advance their right to self-determination and to promote their human rights.
Our role is to lobby the UK Government and the EU. You can help us to ensure the UK does not ignore the voice of the Saharawi people.
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