Paris – The 49th conference of the European Coordination of Support for the Sahrawi People (ECOCO) commenced today in Paris, signaling renewed international solidarity with the Sahrawi people. The conference brings together delegations from across the globe to address the ongoing situation in Western Sahara.
This year’s ECOCO conference, held in France, a nation whose stance on the Sahrawi issue has shifted, carries particular significance. Under the theme of “Self-Determination and Respect for the Right of Western Sahara to Decolonization,” organizers emphasize the crucial opportunity to amplify the voices advocating for Sahrawi self-determination.
According to organizers, the conference aims to “publicly condemn the neo-colonial position of the French government and reaffirm the legitimate and inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence.”
Algeria is represented by a delegation including members of both houses of parliament, representatives of the Algerian community residing abroad, and the National Algerian Committee for Solidarity with the Sahrawi People.
The two-day ECOCO conference (November 28th and 29th) will feature a series of workshops, highlighting future activities and strategies. The first day includes addresses from ECOCO President Pierre Galand, Sahrawi Prime Minister Bouchraya Hamoudi Beyoun, and Régine Villemont, President of the Association of Friends of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
Workshops on the first day will address the plundering of natural resources and violations of European Court of Justice decisions, as well as the responsibilities of the United Nations, France, and Spain. The second day’s agenda includes workshops on respecting the fundamental rights of the Sahrawi people, the responsibility of the international community, the return of ECOCO field workshops, citizen mobilization in Europe, fifty years of solidarity, and strategic discussions on the prospects for solidarity.
The 49th ECOCO conference will conclude with the issuance of a final declaration. The annual ECOCO conference, supported by the Polisario Front, serves as a major international gathering for solidarity with the Sahrawi people. For over 30 years, it has united hundreds of activists, human rights defenders, NGOs, trade unions, researchers, and elected officials from around the world.
