United Nations Security Council Resolution 1720
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1720, adopted unanimously on October 31, 2006, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Western Sahara
, including resolutions 1495
(2003), 1541
(2004) and 1675
(2006), the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
(MINURSO) for six months until April 30, 2007.
Of the fifteen members of the Security Council, 14 approved a draft resolution that included a provision expressing concern about Moroccan human rights
abuses in the occupied territory
; only France
objected, and thus the paragraph was omitted from the final text. The United States
had suggested wrapping up the mission during discussions prior to the adoption of Resolution 1720.
of the people of the territory. Both Morocco
, the Polisario Front
and regional states were urged to co-operate with the United Nations to end the political impasse and reach a solution to the long-running dispute.
. Member States were called upon to consider contributing towards confidence-building measures to facilitate greater person-to-person contact, such as family visits. The mandate
of MINURSO was extended and the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
instructed to report on the situation in Western Sahara. Furthermore, he was also instructed to ensure greater compliance with the zero-tolerance sexual exploitation
policy among MINURSO personnel.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
1720, adopted unanimously on October 31, 2006, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
, including resolutions 1495
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1495
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1495, adopted unanimously on July 31, 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Western Sahara, particularly Resolution 1429 , the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ...
(2003), 1541
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1541
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1541, adopted unanimously on April 29, 2004, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Western Sahara, particularly Resolution 1495 , the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ...
(2004) and 1675
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1675
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1675, adopted unanimously on April 28, 2006, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Western Sahara, including resolutions 1495 , 1541 and 1634 , the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in...
(2006), the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
MINURSO is the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara. The name is a French acronym for "Mission des Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au Sahara Occidental" — United Nations Mission for the organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara.-Purpose of the mission:MINURSO...
(MINURSO) for six months until April 30, 2007.
Of the fifteen members of the Security Council, 14 approved a draft resolution that included a provision expressing concern about Moroccan human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
abuses in the occupied territory
Human rights in Western Sahara
Morocco sees Western Sahara as its Southern Provinces. Morocco considers the Polisario Front as a separatist movement given the Moroccan origins of many of its leaders, and a puppet in the hands of Algeria....
; only France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
objected, and thus the paragraph was omitted from the final text. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had suggested wrapping up the mission during discussions prior to the adoption of Resolution 1720.
Observations
The Security Council reaffirmed the need for a durable and mutual solution to the Western Sahara problem, which would provide for the self-determinationSelf-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
of the people of the territory. Both Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, the Polisario Front
Polisario Front
The POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
and regional states were urged to co-operate with the United Nations to end the political impasse and reach a solution to the long-running dispute.
Acts
All parties were called upon to respect military agreements reached with MINURSO regarding a ceasefireCeasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
. Member States were called upon to consider contributing towards confidence-building measures to facilitate greater person-to-person contact, such as family visits. The mandate
Mandate (international law)
In international law, a mandate is a binding obligation issued from an inter-governmental organization like the United Nations to a country which is bound to follow the instructions of the organization....
of MINURSO was extended and the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
instructed to report on the situation in Western Sahara. Furthermore, he was also instructed to ensure greater compliance with the zero-tolerance sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian response
The sexual exploitation and abuse of beneficiaries by humanitarian workers first came to public attention with the release of a report in February 2002 of a joint assessment mission looking into the issue...
policy among MINURSO personnel.
See also
- Free Zone (region)Free Zone (region)The Free Zone or Liberated Territories is a term used by the Polisario Front to describe the part of Western Sahara that lies to the east of the Moroccan Berm and west and north of the borders with Algeria and Mauritania, respectively...
- Legal status of Western Sahara
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1701 to 1800 (2006 – 2008)
- Moroccan WallMoroccan WallThe Berm of Western Sahara is an approximately 2,700 km-long defensive structure, mostly a sand wall , running through Western Sahara and the southeastern portion of Morocco...
- Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicSahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicThe Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a partially recognised state that claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. SADR was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on February 27, 1976, in Bir Lehlu, Western Sahara. The SADR government controls about...