Moroccans are preparing to celebrate Unity Day for the first time on Saturday, 31 October 2026.
The holiday was decreed a year ago by King Mohammed VI following the adoption by the UN Security Council of Resolution 2797 on the Western Sahara dispute.
The resolution is presented by Rabat as a culmination of Morocco’s policy over the past 26 years and, in particular, the king’s personal commitment to what it regards as the country’s foremost national cause.
Preparations are under way in the Southern Provinces and across the rest of the kingdom for Eid Al-Wahda, or Unity Day, while the United Nations process to implement Resolution 2797 is continuing with the adoption of a new text.
The 31 October holiday coincides with the first anniversary of the Security Council’s adoption of Resolution 2797, which received 11 votes in favour, none against and three abstentions.
Rabat regards the decision as a landmark international development. The resolution calls for negotiations on the Western Sahara conflict to be based on Morocco’s 2007 plan, which proposes autonomy for the territory under Moroccan sovereignty.
The adoption of Resolution 2797 by the UN Security Council marked a significant shift in the diplomatic framework by explicitly placing Morocco’s autonomy initiative at the centre of negotiations towards a political settlement.
Adopted on 31 October 2025, the text received 11 votes in favour, no votes against, three abstentions and one non-participation.
It marked a change in the Council’s approach. For the first time, the Security Council expressly called on the parties to engage in negotiations on the basis of Morocco’s autonomy proposal.
In an address to the Moroccan people that evening, King Mohammed VI described the decision as a decisive turning point.
“We are experiencing a pivotal stage and a decisive turning point in the history of modern Morocco. From now on, there will be a before and an after 31 October 2025,” the king said.
He added that “the time has come for a united Morocco stretching from Tangier to Lagouira, whose rights no one will dare undermine and whose historical borders no one will violate”.
“Praise be to God, we are entering the decisive phase of the UN process, now that the Security Council resolution has defined the principles and foundations that could lead to a definitive political settlement of this conflict, in strict respect for Morocco’s legitimate rights,” the king said.
The monarch hailed the opening of a new chapter of victory after 50 years of sacrifices, which he said would bring a definitive end to what he described as an artificial conflict over the Moroccan identity of the Western Sahara.
He urged people living in the Tindouf camps in Algerian territory to return to their homeland, solemnly affirming that all Moroccans were equal and that there would be no distinction between returnees and their fellow citizens elsewhere in the country.
One year later, 31 October is being added to the national calendar of celebrations. Established by a royal decision announced on 4 November 2025, Unity Day will be marked for the first time this Saturday. It highlights the historical significance Morocco attaches to the UN resolution and follows the 50th anniversary of the Green March, commemorated in 2025.
The holiday will also provide an opportunity to take stock of the diplomatic and political developments set in motion in New York.
Morocco, which has advocated autonomy under the kingdom’s sovereignty since 2007, regards the latest development as a major diplomatic gain.
The plan is no longer viewed merely as a serious and credible initiative that could contribute to a settlement, but as the basis on which negotiations are expected to proceed. Since then, several countries, particularly in Europe and South America, have changed their positions and expressed support for Morocco’s autonomy plan.
To mark Unity Day, Morocco’s central bank, Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM), has issued a commemorative silver coin with a face value of 250 dirhams.
Celebrations and illuminations are being held across the kingdom, particularly in the Southern Provinces and especially in the city of Laâyoune, amid an atmosphere of joy and pride.
AK/Sf/lb/as/APA