Geneva (Switzerland), June 23, 2021 (SPS) – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, reiterated the urgency of “resuming the program of technical missions to the occupied territories of the Sahara, suspended since 2015 due to obstruction by the Moroccan occupation authorities ”.
Through her observations in response to questions from the member countries of the Human Rights Council, the Commissioner expressed her “regret for the delay in the appointment of a Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General to Western Sahara, urging the parties to reach an agreement on the appointment of the Special Envoy proposed by the Secretary General to fill the vacant position in this mission for more than two years.
Regarding the new situation in the territory, Bachelet pointed out that “after the violation of the ceasefire last year, his Office continues to remotely monitor the human rights situation in Western Sahara and in the Sahrawi refugee camps, recalling that the last technical mission of the Office of the High Commissioner for the region dates back to 2015 ”, renewing her call to“ facilitate the performance of these technical missions and allow his office to obtain a direct and impartial knowledge of the human rights situation in accordance with Resolution 2548/2020 of the Security Council ”.
