Security Council resolution 2703 (2023) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 Oct. 2024]
Symbol: S/RES/2703 (2023)
Date: 2023-10-30
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/78 [45] UN MISSION FOR THE REFERENDUM IN WESTERN SAHARA
S/78 [44] WESTERN SAHARA QUESTION
S/ X The situation concerning Western Sahara.
Subjects: UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara|UN. Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|WESTERN SAHARA|NEGOTIATION|PEACE AGREEMENTS|WESTERN SAHARA QUESTION
Votes in favour: 13
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 2
Voting record:
country: ALBANIA
vote: yes
country: BRAZIL
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: ECUADOR
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: GABON
vote: yes
country: GHANA
vote: yes
country: JAPAN
vote: yes
country: MALTA
vote: yes
country: MOZAMBIQUE
vote: abstention
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: abstention
country: SWITZERLAND
vote: yes
country: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                   S/RES/2703 (2023)
               Security Council                                                Distr.: General
                                                                               30 October 2023




               Resolution 2703 (2023)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 9460th meeting, on
               30 October 2023

                    The Security Council,
                    Recalling and reaffirming all its previous resolutions on Western Sahara,
                    Reaffirming its strong support for the efforts of the Secretary-General and his
               Personal Envoy to implement resolutions 1754 (2007), 1783 (2007), 1813 (2008),
               1871 (2009), 1920 (2010), 1979 (2011), 2044 (2012), 2099 (2013), 2152 (2014), 2218
               (2015), 2285 (2016), 2351 (2017), 2414 (2018), 2440 (2018), 2468 (2019), 2494
               (2019), 2548 (2020), 2602 (2021), and 2654 (2022),
                     Expressing its full support for Staffan de Mistura, the Personal Envoy of the
               Secretary-General for Western Sahara and his efforts to advance the political process,
               building on the progress of the former Personal Envoy and in line with relevant
               precedents; and welcoming the visits undertaken by the Personal Envoy in this regard
               to the region,
                     Welcoming the momentum created by the first round-table meeting on
               5−6 December 2018 and the second round-table meeting on 21–22 March 2019, and
               the engagement by Morocco, the Frente POLISARIO, Algeria, and Mauritania in the
               UN political process on Western Sahara in a serious and respectful manner in order
               to identify elements of convergence; and recalling the important contributions of the
               former Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara in holding the
               round-table process, and further welcoming the convening by the current Personal
               Envoy of informal consultations with Morocco, the Frente POLISARIO, Algeria and
               Mauritania as well as France, the Russian Federation, Spain, the United Kingdom and
               the United States, at the United Nations headquarters on 27–31 March 2023,
                     Encouraging the continuation of consultations between the Personal Envoy and
               Morocco, the Frente POLISARIO, Algeria and Mauritania in this regard to build on
               the progress achieved,
                     Reaffirming its commitment to assist the parties to achieve a just, lasting, and
               mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for
               the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in the context of arrangements
               consistent with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, and
               noting the role and responsibilities of the parties in this respect,
                   Reiterating its call upon Morocco, the Frente POLISARIO, Algeria, and
               Mauritania to cooperate more fully with each other, including through building



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               additional trust, and with the United Nations, as well as to strengthen their
               involvement in the political process and to achieve progress towards a political
               solution,
                     Recognizing that achieving a political solution to this long -standing dispute and
               enhanced cooperation between the Member States of the Maghreb Arab Union would
               contribute to stability and security, in turn leading to jobs, growth and opportunities
               for all the peoples in the Sahel region,
                    Welcoming the efforts of the Secretary-General to keep all peacekeeping
               operations, including the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western
               Sahara (MINURSO), under close review and reiterating the need for the Council to
               pursue a rigorous, strategic approach to peacekeeping deployments, and effective
               management of resources,
                     Recalling resolution 2378 (2017) and its request of the Secretary-General to
               ensure that data related to the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, including
               peacekeeping performance data, is used to improve analytics and the evaluation of
               mission operations, based on clear and well identified benchmarks, and f urther
               recalling resolution 2436 (2018) and its request of the Secretary-General to ensure
               that decisions to recognize and incentivize outstanding performance and decis ions
               regarding deployment, remediation, training, withholding of financial
               reimbursement, and repatriation of uniformed or dismissal of civilian personnel, are
               predicated on objective performance data,
                    Recalling resolution 2242 (2015) and 2538 (2020) and its aspiration to increase
               the number of women in military and police contingents of United Nations
               peacekeeping operations,
                      Recognizing the important role played by MINURSO on the ground and the need
               for it to conduct the safe and regular resupply of its team sites, to conduct patrols
               throughout its area of responsibility, and to fully implement its mandate, including its
               role in supporting the Personal Envoy to achieve a mutually acceptable political
               solution, and welcoming the progress made by MINURSO for the resupply of its team
               sites in order to sustain these crucial operations,
                    Noting with deep concern the breakdown of the ceasefire,
                    Expressing concern about the violations of agreements made with the United
               Nations and reiterating the importance of full and renewed adherence to these
               commitments, and taking note of the commitments provided by the Frente
               POLISARIO to the former Personal Envoy,
                    Taking note of the Moroccan proposal presented on 11 April 2007 to the
               Secretary-General and welcoming serious and credible Moroccan efforts to move the
               process forward towards resolution; also taking note of the Frente POLISARIO
               proposal presented 10 April 2007 to the Secretary -General,
                     Encouraging in this context the parties to demonstrate further political will
               towards a solution including by expanding upon their discussion of each othe r’s
               proposals and recommitting to UN efforts in a spirit of realism and compromise,
               further encouraging neighbouring countries to make contributions to the political
               process; and stressing the importance of all concerned expanding on their positions
               in order to advance a solution,
                     Encouraging the parties to cooperate further with the United Nations Office of
               the High Commissioner for Refugees in identifying and implementing confidence -
               building measures that can serve to foster the trust necessary for a suc cessful political
               process,


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                 Stressing the importance of improving the human rights situation in Western
           Sahara and the Tindouf camps, and encouraging the parties to work with the
           international community to develop and implement independent and credible
           measures to ensure full respect for human rights, bearing in mind their relevant
           obligations under international law,
                Encouraging the parties to sustain and prioritize their respective efforts to
           enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara and the
           Tindouf refugee camps, including the freedoms of expression and association,
                Welcoming in this regard, steps and initiatives taken by Morocco, and the role
           played by the National Council on Human Rights Commissions operating in Dakhla
           and Laayoune, and Morocco’s interaction with Special Procedures of the United
           Nations Human Rights Council,
                 Urging enhancing cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High
           Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), including through facilitating visits to
           the region,
                 Noting with deep concern the continued hardships faced by Sahrawi refugees,
           their dependency on external humanitarian assistance, and the impact of the
           COVID-19 pandemic, and further noting with deep concern insufficient funding for
           those living in Tindouf refugee camps and the risks associated with the reduction of
           food assistance; and strongly encouraging donors to provide additional funds in light
           of the deteriorating humanitarian situation and for aid agencies to facilitate the
           delivery of humanitarian assistance in accordance with United Nations best practices,
               Strongly reiterating its request for a refugee registration in the Tindouf refugee
           camps and emphasizing the importance of efforts being made in this regard,
                 Recalling United Nations Security Council resolutions 1325 and 2250 and
           related resolutions; stressing the importance of a commitment by the parties to
           continue the process of negotiations through the United Nations -sponsored talks and
           encouraging the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and active and
           meaningful participation of youth in these talks,
                Recognizing that the status quo is not acceptable, and noting further that
           progress in negotiations is essential in order to improve the quality of life of the
           people of Western Sahara in all its aspects,
                Affirming its full support for Special Representative of the Secretary-General
           for Western Sahara and Head of MINURSO Alexander Ivanko,
                Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 2 October 2023
           (S/2023/729),
                1.    Decides to extend the mandate of MINURSO until 31 October 2024;
                 2.   Emphasizes the need to achieve a realistic, practicable, enduring and
           mutually acceptable political solution to the question of Western Sahara based on
           compromise and the importance of aligning the strategic focus of MINURSO and
           orienting resources of the United Nations to this end;
                 3.   Expresses its full support for the Secretary-General and his Personal
           Envoy to facilitate the negotiations process in order to achieve a solution to the
           Western Sahara question, building on the progress and framework of the former
           Personal Envoy, and strongly welcoming the efforts of the current Personal Envoy,
           including to this end his convening on 27–31 March 2023 of informal consultations,
           and strongly encourages Morocco, the Frente POLISARIO, Algeria, and Mauritania
           to engage with the Personal Envoy throughout the duration of this process, in a spirit
           of realism and compromise, to ensure a successful outcome;

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                     4.   Calls upon the parties to resume negotiations under the auspices of the
               Secretary-General without preconditions and in good faith, taking into account the
               efforts made since 2006 and subsequent developments with a view to achieving a just,
               lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self -
               determination of the people of Western Sahara in the context of arrangements
               consistent with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, and
               noting the role and responsibilities of the parties in this respect;
                     5.    Invites Member States to lend appropriate assistance and support to thes e
               talks and to the Personal Envoy’s efforts;
                     6.    Reaffirms the need for full respect of the military agreements reached with
               MINURSO with regard to the ceasefire and calls on the parties to comply fully with
               those agreements, implement their commitments to the former Personal Envoy, and
               refrain from any actions that could undermine UN-facilitated negotiations or further
               destabilize the situation in the Western Sahara;
                    7.    Reiterates its call upon all parties to cooperate fully with MINURSO,
               including its free interaction with all interlocutors, and to take the necessary steps to
               ensure the security of as well as unhindered movement and immediate access for the
               United Nations and associated personnel in carrying out their mandate, in conformity
               with agreements made with the United Nations;
                     8.   Calls for the safe and regular resupply of MINURSO team sites to ensure
               the sustainability of the Mission’s presence;
                     9.   Emphasizes the importance of a renewed commitment by the parties to
               advancing the political process in preparation for further negotiations, recalls its
               endorsement of the recommendation in the report of 14 April 2008 ( S/2008/251) that
               realism and a spirit of compromise by the parties are essential to achieve progress in
               negotiations, encourages the neighbouring countries to make important, active
               contributions to this process; and stresses the importance of all concerned expanding
               on their positions in order to advance a solution;
                    10. Calls upon the parties to demonstrate political will and work in an
               atmosphere propitious for dialogue in order to advance negotiations, thus ensuring
               implementation of resolutions 1754 (2007), 1783 (2007), 1813 (2008), 1871 (2009),
               1920 (2010), 1979 (2011), 2044 (2012), 2099 (2013), 2152 (2014), 2218 (2015), 2285
               (2016), 2351 (2017), 2414 (2018), 2440 (2018), 2468 (2019), 2494 (2019), 2548
               (2020), 2602 (2021), and 2654 (2022) and the success of negotiations;
                     11. Requests the Secretary-General to brief the Security Council on a regular
               basis, and at any time he deems appropriate during the mandate period, to include
               within six months of this mandate’s renewal and again prior to its expiration, on the
               status and progress of these negotiations under his auspices, on the implementation
               of this resolution, assessment of MINURSO’s operations and steps taken to address
               challenges, expresses its intention to meet to receive and discuss his briefings and in
               this regard, further requests the Secretary-General to provide a report on the situation
               in Western Sahara well before the end of the mandate pe riod;
                    12. Welcomes the initiatives undertaken by the Secretary-General to
               standardize a culture of performance in UN peacekeeping, and reaffirms its support
               for the development of a comprehensive and integrated performance policy
               framework that identifies clear standards of performance for evaluating all United
               Nations civilian and uniformed personnel working in and supporting peacekeeping
               operations that facilitates effective and full implementation of mandates, and includes
               comprehensive and objective methodologies based on clear and well-defined
               benchmarks to ensure accountability for underperformance and incentives and
               recognition for outstanding performance, and calls on him to apply this framework to

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           MINURSO as described in resolution 2436 (2018), and requests the Secretary-General
           to seek to increase the number of women in MINURSO, as well as to ensure the full,
           equal, and meaningful participation of women in all a spects of operations;
                13. Urges the parties and neighbouring states to engage productively with
           MINURSO as it further considers how new technologies can be used to reduce risk,
           improve force protection, and better implement its mandate;
                 14. Encourages the parties to cooperate with the Office of the United Nations
           High Commissioner for Refugees to identify and implement confidence -building
           measures, including to engage women and youth, and encourages neighbouring states
           to support these efforts;
                 15. Strongly urges Member States to provide new and additional voluntary
           contributions to fund food programmes to ensure that the humanitarian needs of
           refugees are adequately addressed and avoid reductions in food rations; and urges aid
           agencies to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid in accordance with United
           Nations best practices;
                 16. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to take necessary measures to
           ensure full compliance of all personnel in MINURSO with the United Nations
           zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to keep the Council fully
           informed through his reports to the Council about the Mission’s progress in this
           regard, and urges troop-contributing and police-contributing countries to continue
           taking appropriate preventative action including vetting of all personnel,
           predeployment and in-mission awareness training, and to ensure full accountability
           in cases of such conduct involving their personnel through timely investigation of
           allegations by troop-contributing and police-contributing countries and MINURSO,
           as appropriate;
                17.   Decides to remain seized of the matter.




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