Geneva (UN Human Rights Council) 8 September 2026 (SPS) – The Chair of the Geneva Support Group for Western Sahara (GSGWS), Ambassador Geraldo Gonçalves Miguel Saranga, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mozambique to the UN and International Organizations in Geneva, expressed deep concern over the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Western Sahara and called for independent, impartial, comprehensive and sustained human rights monitoring in the Territory.
Delivering a joint statement on behalf of the Geneva Support Group during the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Ambassador Saranga welcomed the relaunch of the political process and the resumption of direct negotiations between the two parties, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO, under the auspices of the United Nations.
He nevertheless stressed that the resumption of the political process must be accompanied by effective attention to the human rights situation in Western Sahara.
The Chair of the GSGWS voiced particular concern over reports of arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, and restrictions on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.
He also denounced reprisals against human rights defenders, journalists and activists, as well as the continued detention of Sahrawi human rights defenders and political prisoners and the lack of compliance with fair-trial guarantees.
Ambassador Saranga further drew attention to the persistent restrictions preventing the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) from accessing Western Sahara.
Referring to the UN Secretary-General’s report on the situation concerning Western Sahara (S/2025/612), he noted that OHCHR has continued to face restrictions on access to the Territory despite repeated requests.
He stressed that this persistent lack of access constitutes a serious impediment to the independent assessment of the human rights situation and to the effective fulfilment of the UN human rights protection mandate.
Turning to the environmental dimension of the Western Sahara issue, the Chair of the GSGWS highlighted the implications of environmental degradation and the exploitation of the Territory’s natural resources, stressing that environmental degradation and climate change increasingly affect the enjoyment of human rights.
In this context, he pointed to the exploitation of natural resources, the expansion of renewable energy and other large-scale economic activities in Western Sahara, noting that these activities raise important questions concerning environmental protection, participation and the rights of the people concerned.
Ambassador Saranga stressed that climate justice requires the transition towards renewable energy and sustainable development to be consistent with international law and human rights. He underlined that such a transition cannot be separated from the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and their permanent sovereignty over their natural resources.
On behalf of the Geneva Support Group for Western Sahara, the Mozambican ambassador called for full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Western Sahara, as well as an end to reprisals against human rights defenders, journalists and activists and the implementation of the recommendations of United Nations human rights mechanisms.
The GSGWS also called for independent, impartial, comprehensive and sustained human rights monitoring in the Territory and demanded unhindered access for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to Western Sahara, stressing the importance of ensuring that the UN human rights protection mandate can be effectively carried out.
Concluding the statement, Ambassador Saranga reiterated the importance of ensuring that all environmental and resource-related policies and activities in Western Sahara respect international law, human rights and the rights of the Sahrawi people, including their inalienable right to self-determination. (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
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