Guided by a Shared Commitment to Dignity
The Sahrawi NGO Alliance operates at the intersection of law, advocacy, and humanitarian action, seeking to protect and promote fundamental human rights. It shares unified commitments to human dignity and justice with other organizations and networks.
A world where human rights are universally recognized, protected, and enjoyed by all people without discrimination — regardless of nationality, race, religion, gender, or status.
The Sahrawi NGO Alliance works to ensure the dissemination of human rights knowledge, enhance the capacities of civil actors and defenders, respect human dignity and the human rights of every individual, prevent and end gross human rights violations, and promote remedies and accountability.
The Alliance and its core components are guided by a code of conduct and a shared set of values that direct its work, initiatives, and projects to achieve its protective and promotional goals for human rights in the MENA region.
The Alliance adheres to the principle of independence and indivisibility as a human rights platform guided by its mission, human rights principles, and the preservation of its autonomy, the independence of its policies, and its neutrality regarding donors.
The Alliance affirms the principle of independence as foundational, given the inherent interdependence and equal importance of all rights, which cannot be separated based on their political, civil, economic, social, or cultural nature.
The Alliance acknowledges its full respect for guaranteeing all fundamental human rights and freedoms for all individuals and groups, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other core international conventions.
This is based on the firm belief that the principle of universality rests on the idea that all human beings, regardless of nationality, race, religion, gender, or other status, possess inherent dignity and fundamental rights simply by virtue of being human. Rights are not granted by governments; they are integral to human existence.
The Alliance bases its work, initiatives, projects, and interventions on the principle of equality as an essential element for enabling individuals to realize their potential without discrimination or persecution.
The principle of equality recognizes that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, a principle that permeates all aspects of human rights law and philosophy. The Alliance believes that removing human rights-related barriers leading to inequality is the only way to ensure equality and combat gender discrimination, harassment, and punitive laws. The principles of equality, democracy, and independence underpin the relationships between the Alliance's components and its partners.
The Alliance seeks to contribute effectively to efforts operationalizing the principle of accountability to transform human rights from abstract ideals into tangible reality.
The absence of accountability reinforces the reduction of human rights to hollow promises, contributes to the impunity of violators, denies victims access to effective remedies, and hinders systems to prevent future violations.
The Alliance is committed to applying accountability in its work on human rights issues in the MENA region, particularly in contexts of gross violations, noting the wide gap between obligations and actual accountability despite official commitments to strengthen the rule of law.
Establishing responsibility, demonstrating accountability, enforceability, remedy, and prevention are priorities to face the challenges associated with bridging the impunity gap in the MENA region.
"The protection and promotion of human rights cannot be achieved through the use of force, but by demanding rights through peaceful means."