A group of Moroccan and international experts and academics examined models of autonomy and regionalization in comparative experiences, as well as their role in regional development, last Wednesday in Dakhla. The discussions took place during an international symposium that highlighted various forms of decentralization in public governance.

The city of Dakhla is hosting, over two days, the meetings of the Network of Young Local Elected Officials in Africa (YELO), affiliated with the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa). Representatives from African municipalities and cities, as well as young elected officials from approximately twenty African countries, are participating.

Efforts to combat the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict and to promote their sustainable reintegration were the focus of a high-level roundtable held Tuesday in Geneva. The event, organized on the sidelines of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, is part of a conference series dedicated to the International Rabat Declaration on Child-Focused Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR).

Mahmoud Zaidan, a former detainee of the polisario, delivered a damning testimony Monday before the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, denouncing serious human rights violations in the Tindouf camps.

A group of 40 countries reaffirmed their support on Monday for the “full and complete sovereignty” of the Kingdom of Morocco over its southern provinces, emphasizing that the Sahara issue is a political dispute under the purview of the UN Security Council. They also called for a solution based on the Moroccan autonomy initiative.