Algeria

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and prayers and peace be upon the most noble of Messengers.

Your Excellency the President of the General Assembly, Your Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Their Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On this occasion, I am pleased to extend greetings and appreciation to Their Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses, Heads of State and Heads of Delegations participating in the seventy-eighth (78th) session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

I am also pleased to extend my sincerest congratulations to Mr. Dennis Francis on his assumption of the presidency of the session, wishing him success and accomplishment in his lofty duties, while expressing my appreciation for the efforts of Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, President of the previous session.

I likewise extend my sincere thanks and deep appreciation to His Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres, reaffirming Algeria's support for his sincere and commendable efforts to strengthen the role of our Organization and to advance it in a manner that meets the aspirations of our peoples.

Mr. President,

In this hall, which embraces the entire world in all its diversity and variety, we aspire to consolidate our shared conviction that dialogue and discourse among us is a pressing necessity for which our peoples have struggled, in pursuit of a world of coexistence, cooperation, solidarity and equality among nations.

It is from this very rostrum that my country, some fifty years ago, struggled to expose the flaws in the prevailing international order, and called for a new international order in which equality would prevail among the States for whose sake the United Nations was established.

Mr. President,

Conflicts and crises around the world have reached an unprecedented level, displacing millions of people and transforming international relations from a relationship of cooperation and consensus into one of confrontation and clashes, putting international bodies and institutions to the test at a time when the world is experiencing a pressing state of emergency.

Faced with these geopolitical conflicts and multiple crises, the Security Council has, in recent years, been weakened in its pivotal role upon which the United Nations was founded—a role which the Charter, among its foremost purposes, entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, particularly through preventing the resort to force, eliminating the causes that threaten peace, and achieving the peaceful settlement of disputes.

The time has come for us to think together about ways to uphold the values and principles of the United Nations Charter, to strengthen our collective legitimacy, and to lay solid foundations conducive to greater effective global cooperation on major issues, so that we may be able to radiate international peace and security and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in a multipolar world.

From this perspective, Algeria, which is preparing to take up its non-permanent seat on the Security Council, is fully aware of the weight of the responsibility placed upon it in view of the grave challenges facing the international community.

I take this opportunity to renew my thanks to all 184 States that voted in favor of my country—a trust that Algeria will strive to honor during its membership on the Council, and which it will seek to embody through close cooperation with all Member States of the Security Council and within the United Nations system, drawing on Algeria's pioneering experience in the field of mediation, the promotion of political solutions, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

Acting in this spirit, my country will join the Security Council bearing the aspirations of the peoples of the African continent and the Arab world, calling for moving beyond the logic of merely managing crises, and adopting approaches grounded in definitive solutions to problems and crises through addressing their root causes.

Mr. President,

Any endeavor to strengthen joint international action requires us to respond to the growing calls for greater dynamism in the multilateral system through a comprehensive reform of the Organization's principal organs—a reform that would make them more transparent, achieve the necessary balance among the principal organs, and ensure equitable geographical distribution.

Accordingly, revitalizing the central role of the General Assembly of the United Nations, as the sole organ that truly reflects the diversity of the components of the international community, is a fundamental factor in strengthening equality among States and consolidating the foundations of genuine democracy.

Moreover, advancing intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform, following a comprehensive and inclusive approach, should be a priority for the international community, with a view to reaching consensus on a genuine reform that is more representative and transparent. This leads me to affirm Algeria's commitment to the unified African position, which puts an end to the historic injustice done to the African continent.

Mr. President,

Algeria, which knows well the price of winning freedom, will never waver in its support for just causes and its backing of oppressed peoples struggling for liberation. From this standpoint, it has consistently sought to support the Palestinian cause, so as to enable the brotherly Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights, including the establishment of their independent State on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.

As an expression of its position and support for the just Palestinian cause, my country took the initiative at the end of last year, under the auspices of the President, to convene a reconciliation conference aimed at unifying the Palestinian factions, which culminated in the adoption of the "Algiers Declaration."

In this context, I would like to reaffirm our commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative as a framework for settling the Palestinian question and ending the occupation, which remains the root cause of instability in the Middle East region, appealing to the living conscience of the international community to shoulder its moral and historic responsibility in enabling the Palestinian people to determine their own destiny and to fully recover their rights, undiminished.

On another note, I take this opportunity to call upon the International Court of Justice to respond to the request of the General Assembly of the United Nations, dated 30 December 2022, to issue its advisory opinion on the "Israeli practices" affecting human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, looking forward with you to the triumph of justice and the vindication of the struggle of the Palestinian people, whose sacrifices and suffering under the injustices of occupation have been prolonged.

I also call from this rostrum upon the Security Council to issue a resolution affirming the protection of the two-State solution, which enjoys international consensus, and calling for a halt to the unilateral actions of the occupying Power, foremost among them settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, while renewing the call for convening a special emergency session of the General Assembly to grant the State of Palestine full membership therein.

Mr. President,

We take pride in our Organization's success in ending colonialism in many regions and territories, and we look forward to reaching a final resolution of the phenomenon of colonialism with respect to the last colony in Africa, where an entire people in Western Sahara remains deprived of its fundamental right to self-determination through a free and fair referendum, in line with the United Nations-African Union Settlement Plan adopted by the Security Council in 1991 and agreed upon by both parties, which still awaits implementation.

In light of this reality, and in the face of attempts to create false legitimacy out of illegitimacy, the United Nations bears the responsibility of preserving the credibility of its resolutions, with the collective understanding that supporting the full implementation of its resolutions is a matter of preserving the standing of this Organization.

In this regard, I reaffirm our support for the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and his Personal Envoy in seeking to revive the direct negotiation process with a view to organizing a referendum that would allow the Saharawi people to determine their own destiny, in accordance with the resolutions of the international Security Council.

Mr. President,

My country, which follows with great concern the troubling unrest in some brotherly and friendly States, continues to spare no effort in working to find peaceful solutions and bring the parties together in order to narrow positions and points of view.

Regarding the situation in brotherly Libya, I affirm here our support for the efforts of the United Nations aimed at finding a political solution, led by the Libyans themselves, one that enables them to preserve Libya's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

As for the situation in Mali, I reaffirm Algeria's determination—as it chairs the international mediation and the committee monitoring the implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement resulting from the Algiers process—to continue its efforts to help this brotherly country overcome the difficulties it is experiencing, while reaffirming once again its position rejecting the resort to force to resolve conflicts.

Regarding the recent developments in neighboring Niger, Algeria affirms its commitment to a return to constitutional order through peaceful means, giving precedence to political and diplomatic solutions, and respecting the requirements of the rule of law. It calls for caution in the face of any intentions of foreign military intervention, given its serious consequences for the security and stability of Niger and the region.

At the same time, the worrying situation in Sudan compels us to call upon all parties to halt the conflict and to give precedence to the language of dialogue in order to end the fighting and its repercussions on the humanitarian situation. Indeed, these fragile and unstable conditions cast their shadow over the Sahel and Sahara region, which suffers from weak development rates and the effects of climate change—factors that heighten instability and feed terrorist groups that use the region as a refuge for their criminal activities.

In this context, Algeria does not relent in supporting the development efforts of the countries of the region and in sharing its experience in combating terrorism and violent extremism. I presented to the 16th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union, held in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) on 28 May 2022, in my capacity as Coordinator for the Fight against Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa, a report on the evolution of the terrorist threat in Africa and the mechanisms to combat it. This report sets out a series of practical mechanisms for strengthening the fight against terrorism in Africa and stresses the need to place the issue of counter-terrorism at the top of the priorities of joint African action.

On another front, since Algeria's contributions to international mediation efforts are not confined to its geographic scope, my country has genuinely engaged in the efforts of the Arab Contact Group aimed at helping to relaunch direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Mr. President,

More than eight years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, many developing countries continue to face challenges that call for greater solidarity at the international level in pursuit of a better world and an effective, equitable economic model that allows for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Algeria has embraced the Sustainable Development Agenda and made it a national priority within all governmental strategies, programs and plans, enabling it to make significant progress and achieve notable results toward the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the sectors of education, health, construction, water and electricity.

In keeping with this orientation, Algeria has adopted a new economic model that preserves the pillars of the social State, and is based on encouraging start-ups and the knowledge economy.

Conscious of the need to contribute to global efforts to curb climate change, Algeria has worked to mobilize all possible means to confront this phenomenon and to achieve an energy transition. The Algerian Government has committed to raising national capacity for renewable energy production at a rate of one (1) gigawatt per year, reaching fifteen (15) gigawatts by 2035. This reflects the fulfillment of its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent, with the possibility of voluntarily raising this rate to 22 percent if it receives adequate support.

Mr. President,

My country, which has received the support and trust of the Member States of the Human Rights Council in gaining membership therein, is a party to most international human rights treaties, and works diligently to strengthen its cooperation with the Council and to continue its constructive coordination with the various treaty bodies concerned with human rights, as well as the Universal Periodic Review mechanism, having submitted its fourth national report under this mechanism in November 2022.

My country believes deeply that respect for and the promotion of human rights are the cornerstone of any credible political system, and it works to strengthen them by every possible means. This is a conviction stemming from the Algerian people's commitment to human rights, and the 2020 constitutional amendment in my country stands as testimony to our conviction of the need to strengthen rights and freedoms, having explicitly stated that their essence can never be infringed upon, thereby enshrining in its provisions equality between all male and female citizens in rights and duties, and removing the obstacles that hinder the effective participation of all, particularly in the area of advancing women's rights and empowering them politically and economically through their integration into positions of responsibility, achieving the principle of parity in the labor market, strengthening their role in peace and security, and promoting their status in various spheres of life at the national, continental and international levels. For the first time, a national action plan was prepared in July 2023 within the framework of implementing Security Council resolution 1325, adopted in October 2000, through which Algeria commits to ensuring the promotion of women's role in resolving and preventing conflicts, in a manner consistent with the principles of our country's foreign policy.

Algeria, which is endowed with immense youthful energy—young people making up more than 70 percent of its population—has also adopted approaches that provide the institutional frameworks and material means necessary to develop the capacities of youth, and to integrate them as a driving force in the pathways of sustainable development, across all political, economic, cultural and social spheres.

In conclusion, we will continue to aspire to a world in which peace, security, prosperity and human well-being prevail, under the umbrella of the United Nations. May our intentions be sincere and our resolve strong in achieving the legitimate aspirations of our peoples.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Peace be upon you, and God's mercy and blessings.