Geneva (UN Human Rights Council) 18 June 2026 (SPS) — A high-level side event will be convened today at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, on the sidelines of the ongoing 62nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council, to present the harrowing realities detailed in the newly issued report titled, "Western Sahara: A Year in Review, 2025 Annual Human Rights Report."
The event, scheduled to open at 12:00 PM Geneva time, is jointly sponsored by the Permanent Missions of South Africa and Namibia to the United Nations in Geneva, reflecting a continuous and unwavering African and international solidarity with the Sahrawi people’s struggle for decolonization. The proceedings will also be broadcast live on the Zoom platform to enable international observers and representatives of global civil society who are unable to attend in person to follow the event.
The overarching theme of the side event will focus on exposing the sharp escalation of systematic human rights violations, land confiscations, and the structural information blockade enforced by the occupying Moroccan forces over the past year.
The report under review was prepared collaboratively by the Working Group on Human Rights in Occupied Western Sahara (WGHROWS), with the specialized, technical backing of international experts alongside the non-governmental organizations ACAPS and the International Institute for Nonviolent Action (NOVACT).
The event will features opening remarks delivered by a diplomatic representative of the Permanent Mission of South Africa, and will be moderated by the renowned South African human rights activist Catherine Constantinides.
The core panel will bring together a prominent lineup of Sahrawi defenders, researchers, and international organization coordinators, mainly Mohamed Hali, Sahrawi human rights defender and recipient of the prestigious Front Line Defenders Award 2025, Hayat Said, Researcher and co-author of the 2025 annual report, Ghalia Djimi, Veteran Sahrawi human rights defender.
Among the Panelist will also be Mahfud Bechri, Western Sahara representative for the international organization NOVACT, Lucille Maybon, Maghreb Coordinator for NOVACT, and Albert Giralt, Coordinator for ACAPS.
Following the panel presentations, the closing remarks will be delivered by Fatma Mokhtar Moulay, representing the Working Group on Human Rights in Occupied Western Sahara. (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
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