Morocco’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York hosted an international seminar on July 1, 2026, focusing on the implementation guarantees of territorial autonomy agreements. The event brought together academics and experts from various autonomy models worldwide.

Opening the discussions, Morocco’s UN Ambassador Omar Hilale described the seminar as taking place in an “exceptional context,” with major diplomatic progress on the Western Sahara issue. He highlighted the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797 in October 2025 as a “historic turning point.”

Resolution 2797, he emphasized, unambiguously endorses Morocco’s autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the sole basis for a “negotiated and mutually acceptable political solution.”

Ambassador Hilale noted that the process is four months away from the review of another UN Security Council resolution on Western Sahara. The current momentum reflects strong international support, with over 130 UN member states backing Morocco’s autonomy plan, including three permanent Security Council members: the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.

The diplomat linked this diplomatic momentum to tangible development in the southern provinces, citing progress in infrastructure, renewable energy, higher education, healthcare, investments, a major data center project in Dakhla, and a future deep-water port on the Atlantic coast. For him, this underscores that the autonomy plan “is not a political slogan but a concrete governance project,” backed by constitutional, institutional, and democratic guarantees.

The seminar’s central theme, he continued, was that “in a negotiated autonomy, value lies in its implementation.” Morocco’s initiative envisions local populations managing their own affairs through legislative, executive, and judicial bodies with distinct competencies.

Comparative academic framework

Seminar moderator Marc Finaud, Senior Advisor and Associate Researcher at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, recalled that Morocco’s initiative was submitted to the UN Security Council on April 11, 2007. He stressed that this academic gathering “does not aim to replace” UN-led negotiations but seeks to inform them through international comparisons.

He highlighted key aspects of the initiative, including local population participation, referendum consultation, the principle of subsidiarity, representation in national institutions, constitutional human rights guarantees, integration of autonomy status into Morocco’s Constitution, and mechanisms for reintegration and transition.

Researcher Diego Muñoz presented the case of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), part of Chile, describing its autonomy process as “unfinished” after decades of debate. He contrasted its legal and historical context with Western Sahara’s UN framework, emphasizing the importance of consulting affected populations.

Muñoz argued that Rapa Nui’s experience highlights the value of Morocco’s initiative, which combines local representation, population consultation, and institutional guarantees. He framed autonomy as a “compromise to build,” rooted in cultural recognition and local participation.

Administrative vs. political autonomy

Sémir Al Wardi, Professor of Political Science at the University of French Polynesia, distinguished between administrative and political autonomy. He noted that French Polynesia operates under primarily administrative autonomy, while New Caledonia holds legislative powers.

From this perspective, he argued that Morocco’s initiative is “more generous” than France’s model for French Polynesia, as it grants legislative powers to the Western Sahara region. He compared this approach to autonomy models in unitary states like Spain or the United Kingdom.

The academic also stressed the critical role of resources in any autonomy status, asserting that a region cannot exercise its competencies without adequate financial means. He described autonomy as enabling a region to “affirm its identity” while remaining part of a larger state.

Heikki Mattila, Professor at the School for International Training in Geneva, presented the case of the Åland Islands, an autonomous Swedish-speaking territory of Finland. He explained that this status emerged from a crisis between Finland and Sweden after Finland’s independence and was later formalized by the League of Nations.

Mattila outlined key guarantees of the Åland Islands’ autonomy: protection of the Swedish language, restrictions on non-resident land acquisition, distinct competencies, tax regime, local representation, and the demilitarization of the archipelago. He noted that the islands’ autonomy laws enjoy quasi-constitutional protection and can only be amended through an enhanced procedure involving the region.

The researcher emphasized the need for clear competency sharing and flexibility to allow the status to evolve. He cited institutional mechanisms like the review of regional laws and recourse to Finland’s Supreme Court in case of competency disputes.

Beyond textual guarantees

Final speaker Dagikhudo Dagiev, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, examined the Gorno-Badakhshan region in Tajikistan. He described its autonomy as constitutionally recognized but largely ineffective due to state centralization, direct central government appointments of local officials, and the absence of exclusive competencies.

Dagiev argued that autonomy status alone is insufficient if it remains “on paper.” He contrasted this with Morocco’s initiative, highlighting its constitutional anchoring, fiscal resources, dispute resolution mechanisms, protection against unilateral revocation, and potential international oversight during implementation.

Comparing Gorno-Badakhshan to Morocco’s plan, he concluded that the latter already includes fundamental guarantees: constitutional incorporation, democratic governance, referendum approval, and a negotiated implementation process.

In closing, Marc Finaud summarized key lessons: constitutional enshrinement of the status, international agreement, precise competency definitions, access to own resources, dispute resolution mechanisms, and protection against unilateral changes. These elements, he noted, enhance the credibility of Morocco’s autonomy plan, ensuring its longevity while addressing the evolving needs of the concerned populations.