Geneva (Switzerland), September 8, 2024 (SPS) – The Geneva Group of Supportive States for the Sahrawi Cause decided during its regular meeting held last Wednesday, September 4, 2024, in preparation for the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, to organize a seminar titled «Occupation and Self-Determination: A Comparison Between Western Sahara and Palestine.» This event will feature numerous experts, lawyers, and university professors to highlight the topic of «military occupation, stemming from the denial of the right to self-determination, and the responsibility of the international community in this regard,» according to a source close to the Sahrawi mission in Geneva.
The seminar will take place on Tuesday, October 10, 2024, at the United Nations Human Rights Council headquarters. It will be opened by the South African ambassador and its permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Mr. Mxolisi Nkosi, on behalf of the presidency of the Geneva Group. The seminar will feature renowned international lawyer Gilles Devers, who represents the Polisario Front before the European Court of Justice and the Palestinian people before the International Criminal Court, as well as Basque international law professor Juan Soroeta, author of numerous books on the Western Sahara issue and comparative studies on the struggles of the Palestinian and Sahrawi peoples, including his latest work, «The Military Occupations in Western Sahara and Palestine: Two Identical Realities in Violation of International Law.»
Furthermore, Palestinian lawyer and legal expert Rania Al-Madi will present on the struggle of the Palestinian people in light of recent developments and significant international resolutions, and how to activate them to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
In conclusion, the representative of the Polisario Front to the United Nations and international organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Ubbi Bushraya, will summarize the discussions, focusing on the similarities between the two causes and the intersecting paths of the struggles of the Palestinian and Sahrawi peoples.
It is worth noting that this seminar, organized by a coalition of states supporting the Sahrawi cause known as the «Geneva Group,» is part of the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which will commence tomorrow, September 9, and continue until October 11, 2024.