Guterres also highlighted Morocco's investments in its southern provinces, citing, in particular, the construction of a new port about 70 kilometers north of Dakhla.
Therefore, as attested by the Secretary General of the UN, Morocco's investments in its Sahara continue and are strengthened, especially since the launch by His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the new development model for the Southern Provinces in November 2015.
The reports of the Secretary-General cite, since 2016, the economic development efforts and infrastructure projects of Morocco in its Sahara. Several of these projects were observed in person by the former Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Horst Koehler, during his visit to the region in 2018.
This economic boom is accompanied by the strengthening and legal enshrinement of Morocco's full sovereignty over its southern provinces, through the adoption of two laws updating the limits of the Kingdom's territorial waters and including the coasts of the Moroccan Sahara.
This major fundamental development has not lost on the UN chief who highlighted it in his report: On January 22, the House of Representatives of Morocco adopted two laws updating the limits of its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone which included the waters off the coast of the Sahara.
The report, submitted to the Security Council pursuant to Resolution 2494, also mentions the historic inaugurations of the Consulates General by ten African countries in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla. In this regard, Guterres noted that between December 18, 2019 and March 12, 2020, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia and São Tomé and Principe inaugurated Consulates General in Laayoune or Dakhla.
Indeed, the opening of these African diplomatic representations in the Moroccan Sahara is an illustration of the Royal vision to make the southern provinces a link between Morocco and its African extension. They are also confirmation of the recognition by the international community, particularly African countries, of Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces.
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