Morocco Advocates for Autonomy Plan Implementation at UN Seminar

The Permanent Mission of Morocco to the United Nations hosted an international seminar in New York on July 1, 2026, focusing on the implementation guarantees of territorial autonomy agreements. The event brought together scholars and experts from diverse autonomy models worldwide, examining their relevance in light of UN Security Council Resolution 2797.

Opening the discussions, Omar Hilale, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, described the seminar as taking place in a “remarkable context.” He highlighted significant diplomatic progress on the Sahara issue, particularly the adoption of Resolution 2797 in October of the previous year. Hilale emphasized that the resolution marked a “historic turning point” by unequivocally endorsing Morocco’s autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the sole foundation for a mutually acceptable political solution.

The diplomat noted that the international momentum surrounding the plan is stronger than ever, with over 130 UN member states—including three permanent Security Council members: the United States, France, and the United Kingdom—supporting the initiative. This support, he argued, aligns with tangible advancements in the southern provinces, including infrastructure development, renewable energy projects, higher education initiatives, healthcare improvements, and significant investments such as a major data center in Dakhla and a deep-water port on the Atlantic coast. For Hilale, these developments prove that the autonomy plan is “not a political slogan” but a concrete governance project, reinforced by constitutional, institutional, and democratic safeguards.

The core theme of the seminar was clear: “In a negotiated autonomy, value lies in its implementation guarantees.” The Moroccan initiative envisions local populations managing their affairs through legislative, executive, and judicial bodies with defined competencies. Hilale reiterated that the plan ensures self-governance while maintaining national cohesion.

Comparative Academic Insights

Marc Finaud, Senior Advisor and Associate Researcher at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, moderated the event. He clarified that the seminar was not intended to replace UN-led negotiations but to enrich them through international comparisons. Finaud highlighted key aspects of Morocco’s initiative, including local population participation, referendum consultations, the principle of subsidiarity, representation in national institutions, constitutional guarantees for human rights, and mechanisms for reintegration and transition.

The seminar featured comparative analyses of autonomy models from around the world. Diego Muñoz, a researcher, presented the case of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), an autonomous territory of Chile. He described the process as “unfinished,” with decades of unresolved discussions. While acknowledging contextual differences between Rapa Nui and the Sahara, Muñoz underscored the importance of local consultation—a principle embedded in Morocco’s initiative through mechanisms ensuring representation, participation, and institutional safeguards. He framed autonomy as a “compromise to build,” rooted in cultural recognition and local engagement.

Administrative vs. Political Autonomy

Sémir Al Wardi, a political science professor at the University of French Polynesia, distinguished between administrative and political autonomy. He noted that French Polynesia operates under an administrative autonomy model, whereas New Caledonia enjoys legislative powers. Al Wardi praised Morocco’s initiative as “more generous” than France’s approach to French Polynesia, as it grants legislative authority to the Sahara region—comparable to autonomy models in Spain or the United Kingdom. He also stressed the critical role of financial resources in autonomy, arguing that a region cannot exercise its competencies without adequate funding. Autonomy, in his view, allows a region to “affirm its identity” while remaining part of a larger state.

Heikki Mattila, a professor at the School for International Training in Geneva, examined the autonomy of the Åland Islands, an autonomous Swedish-speaking territory of Finland. The Åland model, born from a post-independence crisis between Finland and Sweden, is governed by guarantees such as the protection of the Swedish language, restrictions on land acquisition by non-residents, fiscal autonomy, local representation, and demilitarization. Mattila highlighted the quasi-constitutional protection of Åland’s autonomy laws, requiring a reinforced procedure—including regional involvement—for any modifications. He emphasized the need for clear competence-sharing and flexible mechanisms to allow the status to evolve, including institutional oversight by Finland’s Supreme Court.

Beyond Legal Texts: Ensuring Effective Autonomy

Dagikhudo Dagiev, a senior researcher at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, presented the case of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) in Tajikistan. While GBAO’s autonomy is constitutionally recognized, Dagiev described its practical limitations due to state centralization, direct central appointments of regional leaders, and the absence of exclusive competencies. This experience underscored the risks of autonomy remaining “mere ink on paper.” By contrast, Morocco’s initiative includes robust safeguards such as constitutional anchoring, fiscal resources, dispute-resolution mechanisms, protection against unilateral revocation, and potential international oversight during implementation.

Dagiev concluded that Morocco’s plan already incorporates fundamental guarantees, including constitutional incorporation, democratic governance, referendum approval, and negotiated implementation. These elements, he argued, enhance the plan’s credibility and durability while addressing the evolving needs of the local population.

In his closing remarks, Marc Finaud summarized key lessons from the seminar: constitutional embedding of autonomy, international agreement, precise competence definitions, access to own resources, dispute-resolution mechanisms, and protection against unilateral changes. These elements, he noted, reinforce the viability of Morocco’s autonomy plan as a sustainable solution that meets the region’s needs.