Smara Wilaya (Sahrawi Refugee Camps), 24 November 2025 (SPS) - Third International Solidarity Forum for Cultural Exchange for Peace in Western Sahara has issued a final statement.
This is the full text of the statement:
The Third International Solidarity Forum for Cultural Exchange for Peace in Western Sahara was held in Smara Province, in the Sahrawi refugee camps, from 19 to 21 November 2025, under the theme: “We meet to stand in solidarity… We dialogue to love.” The event brought together experts, scholars, academics, researchers, and personalities from Western Sahara, Algeria, Mauritania, the United States of America, Palestine, Germany, Venezuela, Italy, and Spain, including a delegation from the occupied cities of Western Sahara. The forum convened amid rapidly evolving global circumstances marked by humanitarian crises, political and security tensions, serious human rights violations, and complex geopolitical transformations characterized by rising regional conflicts, declining adherence to justice and human rights principles, and the continued suffering of the Sahrawi people for more than five decades as a result of occupation and the denial of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence. These challenges are further compounded by fragile security conditions in North Africa following Morocco’s breach of the ceasefire in 2020 and the resumption of open hostilities.
Over the course of three days, the forum addressed a wide range of valuable presentations and discussions on the role of culture in peacebuilding, strengthening solidarity among peoples, and defending legitimate rights, including the Sahrawi people’s established right to freedom and self-determination. The participants highlighted the importance of culture as a form of soft power that promotes peace, supports just causes, and builds bridges of understanding between different cultures. They also underscored the centrality of the Sahrawi cause in the conscience of humanity as a clear decolonization issue that requires steadfast international support until the Sahrawi people are enabled to exercise their legitimate right to self-determination. The forum likewise emphasized the important role of women and youth in fostering a culture of dialogue and human connection.
Participants reflected on the difficult conditions faced by the Sahrawi people both in the refugee camps and in the occupied territories of Western Sahara due to the continued unlawful Moroccan occupation. They stressed that the persistence of the conflict and the absence of a just solution represent obstacles to regional stability and necessitate an international mobilization to protect the human and legal rights of the Sahrawi people.
They expressed their deep solidarity with the Sahrawi people’s struggle and resilience in the face of occupation, reaffirming that the continuation of this international forum for cultural exchange stands as a living testimony to the presence of the Sahrawi cause in the conscience of free peoples and as a clear message that culture remains stronger than walls and greater than attempts at erasure or silencing.
The forum concluded its work with the participants reaffirming that just and lasting peace begins with the recognition of rights, and that cultural dialogue remains one of the highest forms of human commitment to just causes. They emphasized that culture can pave a safe path for dialogue and peace, create a dynamic space for solidarity among peoples, and remain the strongest and most secure bridge for promoting coexistence, rejecting violence, and upholding the principles of justice and human dignity.
The participants expressed their sincere gratitude to the Sahrawi people for their generous hospitality, and to the Government of the Sahrawi Republic for the thoughtful support and logistical arrangements that ensured the success of the forum, as well as for their unwavering pursuit of justice and peace. They also conveyed their deep appreciation for the resilience of the Sahrawi people and their steadfast adherence to their culture and national identity.
The participants reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to supporting the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and relevant international legality.
End of Statement
Third International Forum for Cultural Exchange for Peace in Western Sahara
Sahrawi Refugee Camps / 21 November 2025
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