A large majority of countries voiced support for Morocco’s autonomy plan at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, November 10, describing it as the only serious, credible and realistic basis for a definitive settlement of the artificial dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
The statements were made during a plenary session of the General Assembly devoted to Russia’s veto on October 30, 2026, at the Security Council, which blocked a US-drafted resolution on the Sahara issue. The draft had received 11 votes out of 15.
Speaking at the session, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz regretted that Russia’s veto had come at a time when the political process had resumed following the adoption of Resolution 2797 in 2025.
With the adoption of that resolution last year, the Security Council had put forward “a realistic and viable plan, paving the way for peace and prosperity for those who, for generations, have been the first victims of this conflict,” Waltz said.
“Historic Resolution 2797 enshrined Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative as the basis for advancing negotiations,” the US ambassador said. He recalled that the United States had presented another draft resolution this year that would have extended the mandate of the MINURSO by 12 months while establishing Morocco’s autonomy initiative as “the basis for negotiations.”
Waltz nevertheless assured that “the United States has not given up on finding a solution and playing a leading role in bringing this conflict to a constructive conclusion.”
“Under the leadership of President Donald Trump, we will continue to work with the parties and the United Nations toward a lasting settlement,” he said.
“We sincerely hope and aspire — but we do not merely hope — to put concrete plans in place to resolve this 50-year-old conflict,” he added.
For his part, France’s Ambassador to the UN, Jérôme Bonnafont, reiterated that, for France, “it is clear that the present and future of the Sahara are part of Moroccan sovereignty and that Morocco’s autonomy plan provides the path toward a just and lasting political solution through negotiations aimed at reaching a mutually acceptable settlement.”
Bonnafont said the political process had made “significant progress, particularly with the adoption, a year ago, of Resolution 2797, a decisive turning point that made it possible to resume direct negotiations between the parties.”
“Morocco has also done considerable work on its autonomy plan, which served as the basis for the resumption of discussions,” he said.
The United Kingdom’s representative at the meeting said her country “continues to consider the Autonomy Initiative presented by Morocco in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting settlement of the dispute.”
“We support substantive negotiations on this basis,” she added.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries also reiterated their “steadfast position in support of the Moroccan nature of the Sahara and their backing for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative to settle the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, in line with the position expressed by the GCC Supreme Council in its final communiqué following its 46th session, held in Bahrain in December 2025.”
Speaking on behalf of GCC member states, Bahrain’s Ambassador to the UN, Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, said the countries “reaffirm their support for continued diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching a definitive and lasting political solution to this issue, one that can strengthen regional peace and stability and open broader prospects for cooperation, integration, development and prosperity in the region.”
In a national statement, the Bahraini ambassador reaffirmed his country’s full support for Morocco’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative as a serious, credible and realistic basis for reaching a just and lasting political solution under Moroccan sovereignty.
He also welcomed the broad international support for the initiative and for Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara, describing it as evidence of growing diplomatic momentum in favor of a realistic and pragmatic political solution.
The European Union delegation to the United Nations, for its part, expressed support for the UN-led political process in accordance with the parameters set out by the Security Council in Resolution 2797.
In a statement on behalf of EU member states and other countries seeking to join the bloc, EU Ambassador to the UN Stavros Lambrinidis also reiterated European countries’ full support for the UN secretary-general and his personal envoy in their efforts to facilitate and conduct negotiations based on Morocco’s autonomy proposal, with a view to reaching a just, lasting and mutually acceptable settlement of the dispute.
At the African level, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Comoros, Madagascar, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea also reiterated their support for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative under Moroccan sovereignty.
Read also : UN veto: General Assembly meets Tuesday to discuss Russia’s use of veto, not Moroccan Sahara
Côte d’Ivoire’s representative recalled that Security Council Resolution 2797 “set the framework for finding a definitive solution to the status quo that has persisted for several decades, namely the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, which is now supported by around 130 states, including three permanent members of the Security Council.”
“In our view, this Plan is a serious and credible proposal that provides a framework for taking into account the specific characteristics of the Moroccan Sahara and encouraging the participation of its populations in the management of the region’s political, economic and social affairs,” said Alley Christine Yapi Nee Bah, Deputy Permanent Representative of Côte d’Ivoire to the United Nations.
“Côte d’Ivoire also wishes to recognize the sustained efforts made by the Moroccan authorities in the field of economic and social development, as well as initiatives aimed at promoting and strengthening the protection of human rights in the region.”
“All these initiatives reflect the efforts made by the Kingdom of Morocco to promote development and governance in the region,” she added.
Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Michael Imran Kanu, reaffirmed his country’s support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative, “which constitutes the most credible, realistic and viable framework” for resolving this artificial regional dispute.
Gambia, for its part, said it “recognizes and supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over its entire territory, including the Sahara.”
“This position reflects our commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter, respect for the sovereignty of states and the pursuit of lasting peace and stability in the region,” Gambia’s representative said.
“We take this opportunity to reaffirm our longstanding, firm and unwavering support for the Kingdom of Morocco. Gambia fully supports Morocco’s autonomy plan, under Moroccan sovereignty, as the only realistic, credible and lasting basis for negotiations,” the diplomat added.
She said the initiative offers “a serious and pragmatic framework for reaching a mutually acceptable political solution.” It “also represents the most viable path toward resolving the Sahara issue in a way that preserves Morocco’s unity while promoting the well-being and development of the populations concerned,” she concluded.
Support also came from Latin America. Ecuador’s representative at the meeting said he was “convinced that granting autonomy to the Sahara region constitutes the most realistic option for resolving this dispute.”
“This support stems from the conviction that this initiative (autonomy) offers a concrete way out of the impasse and toward a definitive, peaceful and mutually acceptable political settlement.”
“That is why my country supports it as the basis for negotiations” aimed at reaching a definitive political solution, the Ecuadorian diplomat said.
Read also : Sierra Leone reaffirms full support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara
Guatemala, for its part, said a concrete, realistic and lasting political solution to the Sahara dispute “must be based on respect for Morocco’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as recognition of the efforts made by the Kingdom to reach a mutually acceptable political settlement.”
“In this context, we reiterate our support for the Autonomy Initiative presented by Morocco in 2007, which we consider a serious, credible and realistic proposal for advancing toward a definitive political solution,” said Guatemala’s Ambassador to the UN, José Alberto Briz Guterres.
“We also stress the importance of Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted in 2025, which recognized the value of this initiative within the framework of the UN-led political process. We believe that the progress made in recent years and the political momentum generated by this initiative must not be undermined by the difficulties that have recently emerged within the Security Council,” he concluded.
Spanning all continents, the session was marked by clear and unwavering international support for the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the basis for any political solution.
From Europe to Africa, the Americas, the Arab world and the Gulf, delegations expressed converging views on the serious, credible and realistic nature of the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative and the central importance of Moroccan sovereignty over its Sahara. They also reaffirmed their commitment to a just, lasting and mutually acceptable settlement based on the plan.
