Rutgers Model United

Rutgers Model United Nations 21 Projections Without a solution to the conflict regarding the territory of Western Sahara, the decades long denial of the right to self-determination to Sahrawi people will continue. The Sahrawi population of Western Sahara, without a resolution to the conflict, will be unable to enjoy a right that is ensured in international law. According to Christopher Ross, appointed in 2009 by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to be his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, the continuation of the conflict will lead to “the possible outbreak of popular unrest, and the possible recruitment of frustrated young and unemployed Sahrawis into terrorist or criminal groups.” 82 The inability of both sides to agree on the fate of the Western Sahara territory can result in the return to armed conflict as Ross points out. Along the lines of armed conflict, leaving the issue of the Western Saharan territory unsolved has repercussions in the humanitarian, and human rights realm. As NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have pointed out, the situation in Western Sahara has bred numerous accusations of human rights abuses by both the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front. The Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations (ASVDH) was established to promote a working strategy to promote human rights in Western Sahara. It lists as one of it’s objectives “to protect the community against arbitrary abduction, forced « disappearance », torture, murder and other forms of degradation and attacks on human dignity.” 83 Without finding a compromise between the respective positions of the Polisario Front and the Moroccan government, the denial of self-determination to the Sahrawi populace will be allowed to continue despite UN resolutions proclaiming otherwise. The conflict between the Polisario Front and the Moroccan government has thus, without a solution, manifested into issues of armed conflict, humanitarian and 82 United Nations Department of Political Affairs. “Interview With Christopher Ross, UN Envoy for Western Sahara.” http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/undpa/main/enewsletter/news0212_ross (Accessed 17 April 2012) 83 “About ASVDH,” http://asvdh.net/915 (Accessed 17 April 2012)

Rutgers Model United Nations 22 human rights, and refugees, all of which will be maintained and allowed to flourish as long as the conflict remains unresolved.