At the COP15 of the Ramsar Convention, Algeria’s attempt to challenge Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara through a disguised environmental resolution failed.
Rabat had responded with firm diplomacy and secured broad international backing.
The 15th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, held from July 23 to 31, 2025, in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, witnessed a failed attempt by Algeria to politicise what is intended to be a technical forum.
Disguised as an environmental initiative, Algeria sought to remove several sites located in Morocco’s southern provinces—such as Dakhla Bay, the Aftissate coast, Sebkhat Imlili, and Oued Assaquia Al Hamra—from the Ramsar list of protected wetlands.
According to multiple delegations, the manoeuvre was an indirect effort to cast doubt on Morocco’s sovereignty over its Western Saharan territories. The move was swiftly countered. Morocco mounted a strong diplomatic defense, stressing the Ramsar Convention’s scientific neutrality and firmly rejecting the politicisation of environmental issues. Algeria’s draft resolution, increasingly isolated, was withdrawn before it could even reach a vote.
In response, Rabat garnered widespread support from contracting parties, who reaffirmed the need to uphold the integrity of multilateral frameworks. Several African and European delegations emphasised that the Ramsar Convention holds neither mandate nor authority to arbitrate in territorial disputes.
Despite this obstruction attempt, Morocco continued to advance a robust environmental agenda. The kingdom highlighted its experience in sustainable and inclusive wetlands management, led by the National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) under the 2020–2030 Forest Strategy. To date, 38 Moroccan sites are listed under the Ramsar Convention.
The conference also marked Morocco’s election to the Convention’s Standing Committee as the representative for North Africa for the 2025–2028 term—a symbolic recognition of the kingdom’s environmental commitment, in contrast to political manoeuvering denounced by several observers.
MK/ac/sf/lb/as/APA