Speaking at the annual session of the UN Committee of 24 (C24) which is being held from June 11 to 21, Ms. Bahiya stressed that this innovative development model is part of the firm commitment of the Kingdom to guarantee all citizens the full enjoyment of their rights and freedoms and to develop a united society, where all benefit from security, freedom, equal opportunities, respect for their dignity and of social justice.
As part of this model which takes into account the specificities of the region and the aspirations of local populations, major investment projects have been launched, specifying that these projects relate to infrastructure (roads, ports and airports), health , training, industry, agriculture, renewable energies, tourism, mining, fishing and the social sectors.
The elected official from the Moroccan Sahara also indicated that the new development model for the southern provinces with a budget of nearly 10 billion dollars has completed more than 80% of its socio-economic and structural projects, adding that this initiative aims to create more than 120,000 jobs and double local GDP.
In this regard, she indicated that the two regions of the southern provinces achieved a growth rate 50% higher than the national average, namely 10.9% for the Laâyoune region and 10.5% for that of Dakhla. .
The elected representative of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, moreover, indicated that the Moroccan Sahara is today known for its unprecedented economic and social empowerment and as a regional economic hub.
In this context, she pointed out that the three Royal initiatives, namely the Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline, the Africa Atlantic initiative and the Initiative aimed at promoting access to the Atlantic for Sahel countries will make the Moroccan Sahara a platform security, stability and co-development in Africa, in the Atlantic and well beyond.
Recalling the Royal speech on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Green March, in which His Majesty King Mohammed VI highlighted an ambitious geopolitical vision for Morocco, focused on the transformation of the Atlantic coast, the speaker affirmed that the The objective outlined by the Sovereign is to make this region a high place of communion, a pole of economic integration and a focal point on the African continental and international scene.
And to continue that His Majesty the King expressed His determination to carry out major projects in the southern provinces, focused on the development of services and infrastructure dedicated to human and economic progress.
Concerning the Dakhla Oued-Eddahab region, Ms. Bahiya reported that this region has benefited from numerous infrastructure projects, such as the construction of the 1,055 km Tiznit-Laâyoune-Dakhla expressway, as well as the Dakhla Atlantic Port, in addition to the extension of the electricity network.
In this regard, she noted that thanks to a far-sighted Royal vision, the Dakhla Atlantic Port project, which mobilizes an investment of around 10 billion dirhams, aims to boost the economic, social and industrial development of southern provinces, notably the region of Dakhla Oued Eddahab.
“This project intends to transform the region into a major industrial hub, promoting the development of a robust naval industry and positioning it as a strategic crossroads, while offering privileged access to the African continent,” she continued.
Ms. Bahiya noted that this new port is intended to accommodate future flows of fishing products, in particular the exploitation of small pelagic stocks in zone C (Boujdour-Lagouira), and will serve as a logistical and economic lever to structure the economic and social development of the southern part of Morocco.
The elected official from the Moroccan Sahara indicated that the port should also facilitate activities linked to fishing within the new free zone, including commercial operations (exports, supply) as well as traffic linked to the Dakhla hinterland.
Likewise, she stressed that several institutions are being developed to strengthen local capacities, citing in this regard projects such as the transformation of the regional hospital center into a university hospital center, the creation of a “city of trades and skills” and the opening of a medical faculty.
On the cultural level, the speaker noted that Morocco has launched a series of initiatives to preserve, integrate and promote Hassani culture, in line with the Constitution, specifying that numerous public libraries have been opened and several Cultural and musical festivals are organized in different cities of the Moroccan Sahara such as Dakhla, Laâyoune and Tan Tan.
A cultural club, a media library, a museum (Dakhla), a Hassani music institute and a center for the preservation of Hassani culture were also created, she said, adding that this Center was able to collect more than 400 manuscripts. of Hassani poetry.
Regarding the conditions of women in the Moroccan Sahara, Ms. Bahiya indicated that women play a leading role in society where they enjoy a high rate of political participation like other regions of the Kingdom.
In the southern provinces, women have elective mandates at the local, provincial and national levels and participate in the management of local affairs through regional and local councils elected as part of the advanced regionalization adopted by the Kingdom, he said. -she argues, referring to the projects which have improved the living conditions of vulnerable groups and created income-generating activities in the region.
She also indicated that other social projects have promoted the integration of thousands of women into the labor market, adding that women in the Moroccan Sahara are present in Parliament, in regional councils and municipal councils and enjoy the same rights and freedoms than their fellow citizens in other regions of the Kingdom.
Referring to the legislative, regional and local elections which took place in Morocco in September 2021, including in its Sahara, Ms. Bahiya indicated that these deadlines demonstrated the dedication and attachment of the populations of the Sahara to their Moroccanness.
She recalled that this triple vote, which saw massive participation from the populations of the southern provinces, took place in a climate of serenity throughout the national territory, specifying that the participation rate in the Moroccan Sahara region reached 66.94% for Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra and 58.30% for Dakhla Oued Eddahab, the highest at the national level.
For Ms. Ghalla Bahiya, the participation rates in the southern provinces confirm the unfailing attachment of the populations of the Sahara to the Royal project of building a modern and democratic society, adding that this population is fully integrated into the management of local affairs and public through the election of its representatives within local councils, regional councils and the national parliament.
The speaker also deplored the “conditions of despair” in which the women sequestered in the Tindouf camps in the southwest of Algeria live, where they are subjected to various forms of abuse and torture. including rape.
“The rights of women and children are violated in the Tindouf camps without any action on the part of the host country which continues to refuse UNHCR to fulfill its humanitarian mandate aimed at protecting the population of these camps, including women and children. children,” she denounced, insisting that this situation absolutely requires the census of these populations.
In this context, she condemned the role of the “Polisario” separatist group and the host country, Algeria, in the serious and systematic violations of human rights in these camps, as evidenced by the various reports of the High -Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). These reports highlight the massive and large-scale use by separatist militias of harassment, arrests and mistreatment of bloggers, doctors and nurses in the Tindouf camps.
Ms. Bahiya also spoke out against the precarious living conditions in which those sequestered in these camps live due to the misappropriation of humanitarian aid by the “Polisario” as confirmed by the World Food Program (WFP) and the European Union Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
In its 2023 report, the WFP reported major dysfunctions in the management of aid in the Tindouf camps, particularly the sale of WFP products on the markets of neighboring countries, she recalled.
“The status quo has an obvious cost for our brothers and sisters in the Tindouf camps and creates uncertainty about their future,” she lamented.
To this end, she urged the international community to bring the armed separatist group and the host country, Algeria, to put an end to these violations, to stop using children as soldiers and to allow the registration and census of populations sequestered in the Tindouf camps.
Ghalla Bahiya also indicated that to put an end to the suffering of these populations sequestered in the Tindouf camps, Morocco proposed in 2007, the Autonomy Initiative, within the framework of sovereignty and integrity. territorial territory of the Kingdom.
“The Moroccan autonomy initiative is now supported by more than 107 countries around the world, at a time when around thirty states and regional organizations have opened consulates general in the cities of Laâyoune and Dakhla,” he said. she affirmed, adding that the autonomy plan is a widely recognized political solution and is in line with the advanced regionalization process put in place by Morocco.
She recalled that the autonomy plan, described as serious and credible in the 20 resolutions of the UN Security Council since 2007, legitimately aims to achieve a definitive political solution to the regional dispute around the Moroccan Sahara.
This initiative is based on two pillars: the establishment of local and representative institutions allowing the population of the Moroccan Sahara to enjoy their political, social and cultural rights, and the preservation of the historical sovereignty of Morocco over this region, in accordance with the international law, explained the elected official from the Moroccan Sahara.
And to conclude that the implementation of the autonomy plan will further accelerate socio-economic development and guarantee lasting peace and stability in the region.
2024-10-08 02:26:17