Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to use soft power to promote dialogue and cooperation between the parties to the conflict in Western Sahara.

The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. We strongly support the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, and welcomed his September 2023 visit to the region, including to Western Sahara. The UK welcomes the recent efforts of all concerned to engage with the Envoy and to facilitate his recent visits, and we will continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon discussed the importance of moving the process forward towards resolution with Morocco's Foreign Minister at the 4th UK-Morocco Strategic Dialogue on 9 May.