The International Forum celebrated in Barcelona from February 6th to 8th 1998, with the objective of learning about the situation of Saharawi women and their struggle for the liberty of their people, has brought together 200 women from Europe, Africa and Latin America, and has met with the participation of an important delegation of Saharawi women.
The International Forum for Solidarity with Saharawi Women has carried out a profound debate in the course of which the problems of Saharawi women have been analysed, as well as the important role which they have played and will play, together with problems of the Peace Process and of the organisation of the referendum, and the obstacles to the process of voter identification imposed by Morocco.
In consideration:
that the Saharawi women have, to date, 22 years of experience struggling under very difficult conditions to achieve the self-determination and independence of their people;
of the necessity to compensate the shortage of resources of Saharawi women and of the Saharawi people in comparism with Morocco in order to manage to deal effectively with the celebration of the referendum; and of the pressures exercised by the Moroccan regime on the Saharawis in the occupied territories.
We therefore adopt the following points of agreement:
We will work to achieve a greater implication of the international community, of the European governments and of the European Union throughout the entire process, requesting that they adopt a vigilant attitude to guard against any intent to obstruct or violate the Houston Agreements.
We will call for the mobilisation of womenís organisations, political forces, labour unions, NGOs, associations, etc. to support Saharawi women and the independence by means of the celebration of a free, fair and transparent referendum as established in the Houston Accords.
We will cooperate in the training of Saharawi women in the refugee camps and in the occupied territories to guarantee their full and indispensable participation in the different stages of the referendum process.
We will organise campaigns to raise funds and gather material means to cover the necessities of the referendum.
We will work for a maximum presence of observers during the transition stage and in the celebration of the referendum.
We will work to gain support and vigilance of the international community that will guarantee that the Saharawi population in the occupied territories will be able to freely participate in the celebration of the referendum.
We will maintain our cooperation, especially in education, with Saharawi women once independence has been achieved, with the objective of supporting and encouraging their participation in political, social, cultural and economic spheres of life.
We will create an International Platform for Support of Saharawi Women, which will take responsibility for the follow-up and development of the above-stated objectives.
On the occasion of the celebration in Barcelona of the International Forum of Solidarity with Saharawi Women, on February 6th through 8th of 1998, bearing in mind the broad and diverse participation which the Forum has enjoyed, and having recognised the necessity of forming strategies of joint action in relation to cooperation with Saharawi women, the creation of the International Coordination Platform for Solidarity with Saharawi Women has been agreed to.
The supporting organisations and institutions will each appoint a representative to the Platform and commit themselves to promote and coordinate cooperation with Saharawi women in their respectives operational territories. The Platform will be coordinated through the M. Aurelia Capmany Foundation of Barcelona, which will maintain permanent contact with the National Union of Saharawi Women.
The objectives of the Platform are:
1. To give support to the celebration of a fair, clean and democratic referendum which respects the legitimate aspirations of Saharawi women and of the Saharawi people in general.
2. To give support to the participation of the Saharawi women in the Peace Process, beginning with voter identification and continuing through to the celebration of the Referendum.
3. To give support to the Saharawi women so that they may see their expectations of the future realised in a free and independent country.
The functions of the Platform will be concretised in the following ways:
1. Assembling together proposals and demands of the National Union of Saharawi Women and making them known to all of the supporting members of the Platform.
2. Assembling together and disseminating initiatives and projects for cooperation with Saharawi women.
3. Giving impetus to decision-making and the elaboration of join projects involving different countries and organisations.
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El Fórum Internacional celebrado en Barcelona los días 6, 7 y 8 de Febrero con el objeto de conocer la situación de la mujer saharaui y su lucha por la libertad de su pueblo, ha reunido a 200 mujeres de Europa, Africa y América Latina y ha contado con la participación de una importante delegación de mujeres saharauis.
El Fórum Internacional de Solidaridad con la Mujer Saharaui ha realizado un debate profundo en el curso del cual se ha analizado la problemática de la mujer saharaui y el importante rol que ha desempeñado, los problemas del proceso de paz y la organización del referéndum y los obstáculos interpuestos por Marruecos en el proceso de identificación.
Considerando:
* que las mujeres saharauis llevan 22 años luchando en condiciones muy difíciles por su autodeterminación y por la independencia de su pueblo,
* la necesidad de paliar la inferioridad de recuros de las mujeres y del pueblo saharaui en general para hacer frente a la celebración de referéndum,
* las presiones ejercidas por el régimen marroquí sobre las saharauis en los territorios ocupados
Adoptamos los siguientes acuerdos:
1. Trabajar para conseguir una mayor implicación de la comunidad internacional, de los gobiernos europeos y de la Unión Europea en todo el proceso, pidiéndoles que adopten una actitud vigilante ante cualquier intento de obstrucción y violación de los acuerdos de Houston.
2. Pedir la movilización de las organizaciones de mujeres, fuerzas políticas, sindicatos, ONGs, asociaciones, etc. para apoyar a las mujeres y al pueblo saharaui en el ejercicio de su derecho a la autodeterminación y la independencia mediante la celebración de un referéndum libre, justo y transparente tal como se establece en los acuerdos de Houston.
3. Cooperar en la formación de las mujeres saharauis en los campamentos y en los territorios ocupados, para garantizar su plena participación en las diferentes etapas del proceso de referéndum.
4. Organizar campañas de captación de recursos económicos y medios materiales para cubrir las necesidades del referéndum.
5. Garantizar la máxima presencia de observadoras durante la etapa de transición y en la celebración del referéndum.
6. Trabajar para conseguir el apoyo y una vigilancia especial de la comunidad internacional que garantice que la población saharaui en los territorios ocupados pueda participar libremente en la celebración del referéndum.
7. Mantener nuestra cooperación con las mujeres saharauis con el objetivo de potenciar su participación en la vida política, social, cultural y económica, una vez conseguida la independencia.
8. Crear una Plataforma de Coordinación Internacional de Apoyo a la Mujer Saharaui que vele por el seguimiento y el desarrollo de los objetivos expuestos anteriormente.
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