Assahafa.com
As Morocco prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Glorious Green March, which enabled the Kingdom to regain its territorial integrity, the Moroccan Sahara has become a haven of peace, African integration, and shared development, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Omar Hilale, affirmed Wednesday in New York.
Speaking before the 4th Committee of the UN General Assembly, Hilale emphasized that the Moroccan Sahara today embodies a land of unity, peace, and inclusive progress, noting that since 1975, and regardless of the evolution of the political process, Morocco has invested in realizing the legitimate right to development of the populations of its Saharan Provinces.
Referring to Morocco’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Green March on November 6, the diplomat underlined that this historic event enabled the return of the Moroccan Sahara to the Motherland, following negotiations with the occupying power, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law. “This moment not only sealed a page in colonial history, but also opened a future of peace, stability, and development”.
In his address to the 4th Committee of the UNGA, the Moroccan ambassador also deplored the outdated statements of certain member states, “whose positions are out of step with the Security Council’s efforts to reach a realistic political solution based on compromise, in order to put an end to this dispute that has persisted for more than half a century.”
“To those who, through dogmatism, persist in rehashing outdated positions”
Hilale emphasized that the Sahara has been Moroccan since time immemorial, evoking in this regard a Sahara that has written the history of the Kingdom through the centuries and has embraced its future with determination and optimism, until the end of time, noting that the Moroccan Sahara embodies, today, a land of unity, peace, and inclusive progress.
“To those who dispute this obvious fact”
The ambassador reminded them that since 1975, and regardless of the evolution of the political process, Morocco has invested in realizing the legitimate right to development of the populations of its Saharan Provinces.
He noted that the GDP per capita in the Southern Provinces is among the highest in the Kingdom, while strategic infrastructure is being built in the Provinces, such as the Dakhla Atlantic Port, a strategic platform for trade and regional integration; the Tiznit-Dakhla expressway, which strengthens mobility and national unity; solar and wind power plants, which make the Sahara a pillar of the energy transition; as well as universities, hospitals, technology parks and schools of excellence.
“To those who claim to defend the right to self-determination”
In response to these parties, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN highlighted Autonomy, “which is fully recognized in UN practice, as well as in peaceful dispute resolution processes, as a legitimate means of exercising the right to self-determination, particularly when the populations concerned can democratically manage their affairs within the framework of state sovereignty.”
“This is exactly what the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative proposes,” he emphasized, specifying that this Initiative guarantees local populations broad democratic management of their affairs, within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty, while maintaining an elected parliament, a representative executive, and an independent judiciary. For him, this is a model consistent with international law and international human rights standards.
Furthermore, and to remove any ambiguity, Hilale deemed it essential to reiterate that the right to self-determination, as recognized by the United Nations, “cannot and should not be interpreted as a right to secession, nor as a tool to challenge the territorial integrity of sovereign states, as emphasized by the famous General Assembly Resolution 1514.”
“To those who want to freeze this regional conflict for geopolitical purposes”
The Ambassador underscored the growing international consensus around the Moroccan Autonomy Proposal, noting that more and more countries from all regions of the world recognize the justice, legitimacy, and relevance of this Initiative.
In this regard, he recalled a passage from the Throne Speech of July 29, 2025, in which His Majesty the King stated: “I am proud of the growing international support for the Autonomy Initiative as the only solution to the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.”
“This support is neither accidental nor circumstantial: it reflects the international community’s clear-sighted and sovereign recognition of a proposal that meets the imperatives of peace, realism, and compromise, as constantly reiterated by Security Council resolutions,” he emphasized.
In the same vein, the diplomat noted that the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative is welcomed by the international community “not out of pressure, but out of the conviction that it constitutes the only serious and credible basis for achieving a realistic, pragmatic, and lasting political solution, with full respect for Morocco’s sovereignty.”
Omar Hilale also stated that the Autonomy Initiative, “far from being a unilateral solution, as some falsely claim, is part of the UN political process and remains open to negotiation and enrichment by all parties concerned, as identified by the Security Council in its successive resolutions; namely Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the “polisario.”
“It would still be necessary for these parties, who deride the idea of supporting the political process, to sincerely seek peace and agree to take part in the negotiations,” he said.
“To those who fantasize about so-called instability in the Moroccan Sahara”
The ambassador responded by emphasizing that the Moroccan Sahara has become a haven of peace, and a hub for African integration, South-South cooperation, and shared development.
He noted that the Kingdom’s Southern Provinces are at the heart of three major Royal initiatives, namely: the Royal Atlantic Initiative for inclusive growth in the Atlantic countries of Africa; the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, a vector of energy, stability, and shared prosperity; and the Sahel Initiative, which aims to open up and bring peace to a troubled region.
“To those who exploit the suffering of our brothers and sisters in the Tindouf camps”
Hilale made a sincere appeal to these parties to end their exile and allow the reunification of their families, their return to the Motherland with dignity, and their active participation in the development of the Moroccan Sahara.
“The humanitarian tragedy in Tindouf can no longer serve as a pretext for inaction or manipulation of the immeasurable suffering of these populations,” he said, stressing that it is time to turn this painful page and respond to the UN Secretary-General’s call for a “renewed effort toward an accelerated resolution.”
“To those who excel at doublespeak and persist in perpetuating this conflict for half a century”
The ambassador recalled Morocco’s irreversible commitment to the UN, its political sincerity toward the parties, and the hand regularly extended to the brotherly Algerian people by His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
In this regard, he affirmed that the Kingdom’s stance remains consistent, based on good faith, respect for commitments, and the desire to find a definitive solution to this dispute that has lasted far too long: a political, realistic, lasting solution based on compromise, under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations.
Hilale concluded by recalling the passage from the last Throne Speech in which the Sovereign pleads for “a consensual solution – a solution with neither winner nor loser; a face-saving solution for all parties”.
Source: map
