Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) is a network organization working on the natural resource situation in
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...
.
WSRW consists of organizations and campaigners from more than 40 countries researching and campaigning against the companies working in partnership with the
Moroccan government
Politics of Morocco take place in a framework of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, whereby the prime minister of Morocco is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative ...
in occupied Western Sahara. The organization was established in 2004, and works in solidarity with the
Polisario. The organization believes that the occupation of Western Sahara will continue as long as
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
profits from it.
A part of Western Sahara is controlled by Morocco. The
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
(UN) Legal Counsel, Ambassador
Hans Corell
Hans Axel Valdemar Corell (born July 7, 1939) is a Swedish lawyer and diplomat. Between March 1994 and March 2004 he was Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and the Legal Counsel of the United Nations. In this capacity, he was head of the ...
expressed in 2002 that the natural resources management in Western Sahara only would be in line with international law if it took into account the "wishes and interests of the people of Western Sahara".
WSRW works to inform international companies about the UN Legal Opinion and of the ethical aspects of business practice in the territory. The organization also launches campaigns, encouraging multinational companies and governments not to invest and participate in trade in the occupied territories of Western Sahara until a peaceful solution to the conflict has been found.
Previous campaigns
WSRW has previously carried out campaigns against the phosphate, oil and fish industries. Since 2006, the organization has worked to prevent the European Union entering agreements with Morocco covering the territory of Western Sahara, most importantly its Fisheries Partnership Agreements. In 2011 the EU parliament terminated the last Fisheries Partnership Agreements with Morocco for the waters of Western Sahara.
[''Morocco bans EU fishing vessels amid Western Sahara''BBC News 14.12.2011]
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References
External links
*{{Official homepage, http://www.wsrw.org/
Organizations based in Western Sahara