Shaheed El Hafed, 31 March 2026 (SPS) – The Sahrawi Republic has reaffirmed its commitment to climate justice based on respect for the right of peoples to self-determination and the fundamental principles of international law.
In an advisory statement submitted by the working committee in charge of the natural resources file to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights regarding states’ obligations toward the crisis related to climate change, the Sahrawi Republic renewed its commitment to climate justice founded on respect for the right of peoples to self-determination and the basic standards of international law.
Through its participation in these proceedings, the statement says, the Sahrawi Republic seeks to highlight the close links between climate justice and situations of illegal occupation, and thus to make the voice of occupied peoples heard in climate justice issues.
The statement added that the right of peoples to self-determination, as well as the prohibition of acquiring the territory of others by force, constitute peremptory norms of international law that cannot be violated under any circumstances.
Accordingly, states’ obligations in combating climate change must be understood and implemented within the framework of strict respect for these fundamental principles.
Otherwise, the statement stressed, the noble goals of combating climate change cannot in any way be used to justify the “greening” or whitewashing of the continuation of an illegal occupation, such as the situation in Western Sahara, in a serious violation of international law.
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