Algeria

I should like at the outset to express my satisfaction at seeing Mr. Sam Kutesa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uganda, an African neighbour, brother and friend, presiding over this important session of the General Assembly and to assure him of our full cooperation. I should also like to hail his predecessor the outgoing President of the General Assembly, Mr. John Ashe, and to pay homage to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his work in driving forward the role and missions of the United Nations. The theme of the general debate focuses on the future and the prospects for future generations. This reminds us, on the eve of the global summit on the post-2015 development agenda and of the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations, of the urgency of making a renewed commitment to multilateralism founded on international law. Given the persistence and varied manifestations of the current crisis, we must have a comprehensive vision in order to make the United Nations a builder of lasting solutions to modern global problems. We are banking on the hope that the new sustainable development goals (SDGs) will contribute to bringing about a world that makes it possible for us effectively to protect human rights, guarantee the inclusive participation of all, and ensure that everyone — particularly those living in the forlorn regions in which 40 per cent of the poorest people live — shares in prosperity. That was the formulation expressed by the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) at the seventeenth Ministerial Conference hosted by Algeria in May, in reaffirming the relevance and importance of the right to development and the pressing need to eradicate poverty, which has been identified as a global challenge and a central objective of the post-2015 development agenda. Algeria is pursuing its efforts to reach a comprehensive and ambitious agreement on the SDGs and on climate, to include, in the case of the latter, desertification and access to genetic resources. Furthermore, we must see the implementation of commitments, whether they are commitments made as official development assistance or within the Monterrey Consensus, in the Doha Declaration or at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. At the United Nations, Algeria coordinates the NAM working group on the revitalization of the General Assembly. In that role, Algeria will continue its efforts to ensure that the NAM working group, which is the most representative in the international system, assumes its full role. At the same time, Algeria will continue to work with its partners in the African Union Committee of Ten towards Security Council reform, aimed at putting an end to the historical injustices vis-à-vis the African continent, which wants, more than anything, representation and legitimacy in the Security Council. In that context, the strengthening of cooperation and the multiform partnerships between the African Union and the United Nations should be encouraged, in particular in the context of the many conflicts and crises that continue to afflict Africa and to slow down the conclusion of its decolonization process. From that perspective, the global review that Mr. Ban Ki-moon is called upon to present in April 2015 on the question of Western Sahara, which pits the Kingdom of Morocco against the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguía el-Hamra y de Río de Oro, must honour the United Nations doctrine in the matter of decolonization, as well as stress the importance of the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. Algeria supports the inalienable right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination, as has been well established, and in that regard Algeria encourages the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, Ambassador Christopher Ross, to intensify their efforts to ensure the success of that effort to move towards peace. Algeria is a stakeholder in the common destiny of the peoples of the Maghreb. Algeria’s own development has been conceived and guided by the desire to achieve the integration of the vast geopolitical space of which it is at the very centre. The policy platform on which President Bouteflika was re-elected and the five-year plan of action of his Administration hinge on a deepening of participative democracy, the modernization of the judiciary, equal opportunities for men and women, and good governance. The economic effort has allocated significant public investment in the sectors of agriculture, industry, energy, the environment and tourism, and into the diversification and modernization of the economy, all based on objectives tied to competitiveness and a substantial relaunching of growth. At the same time, Algeria is working to promote development with mutually beneficial strategic partners, based on respect for sovereignty and a balance of interests, in order to bring about opportunities for cooperation and the means of tackling the challenges and threats of a transnational nature. That cooperation excludes unilateral measures such as the embargo imposed on Cuba. The worrisome spread of the Ebola virus has been declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be a global health emergency, and that reminds us tragically of the structural precariousness of human security systems, as well as of the responsibility of the international community in the treatment of health problems that affect the poor, who have no means or role in decision-making. Algeria adds its voice to that of the Secretary-General in urging the United Nations agencies and other donors, as well as non-governmental organizations, quickly to provide the international assistance needed by the African countries that have been hit by that scourge. That existential threat is yet another that Africa must collectively take on in order to ensure its rebirth, and brings with it challenges in the area of peace and security. At the behest of the stakeholders in Mali, Algeria is undertaking large-scale mediation between the Malian Government and the movements in the north of that country, working with a team that is representative of Africa and the international community as a whole. The adoption of a road map for negotiations in the Algiers process and the declaration of a cessation of hostilities have marked the effort towards the launching of substantial negotiations since 1 September, with the aim of achieving a comprehensive and definitive peace accord. The launching of those negotiations has been a source of satisfaction and coincides with the freeing of two Algerian diplomats who had been held hostage for nearly three years by a terrorist organization. I should like to avail myself of this opportunity to pay homage to the memory of our Consul in Gao and his assistant, Tahar Touati, who lost their lives during their period of captivity. The situation in Libya, a sister nation, has continued to deteriorate over the past three years. The twofold Algerian initiative to implement a common plan of action for all of the countries neighbouring Libya and for launching an inclusive dialogue towards national reconciliation, which would also seek to strengthen State institutions, has made a valuable contribution towards a collective, healthy step towards peace for the Libyan people, which we very much wish for them. The difficult state of affairs in our region requires a stepping up of efforts in the fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel and their established links to drug trafficking networks and transnational organized crime. In the global forum of the fight against terrorism, Algeria will continue to cooperate, including in its work as co-Chair of the Working Group on the Sahel, and will focus on securing borders and on preventing ransom-seeking abductions by terrorist organizations, bearing in mind the recommendations from the Algiers workshop in September 2013 and the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council. In that spirit, Algeria notes with interest the results of the high-level Security Council meeting on terrorism and foreign combatants, convened on the initiative of President Obama (S/PV.7272). We also take note of the international mobilization against transborder terrorism on a large scale, which is relevant to Iraq and Syria. The execution of French citizen Hervé Gourdel in Algeria underscores the need to strengthen the fight against terrorism in all its forms. The earth-shattering developments that affect the lives of people in the Middle East add new questions with regard to the uninterrupted role played by the international community vis-à-vis the tragedy inflicted upon the brotherly Palestinian people. The history of humankind shows that armed conflicts give rise to other conflicts and that only by working towards justice within law and morality can we find lasting solutions. The Palestinian question and the Syrian crisis must be approached along those lines. I should also like to avail myself of this opportunity to pay homage to the efforts of my compatriot, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, and to reiterate our support to his successor, Mr. Staffan de Mistura. The ninth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Weapons should focus on the close, complementary nature of the objectives of disarmament, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the promotion of the peaceful uses of the atom. Let there be no doubt that much remains to be done when it comes to freeing the world of weapons of mass destruction. Algeria, as a member of the Human Rights Council, is motivated by a strong sense of responsibility to participate actively in the promotion of the universal and interdependent nature of human rights. The President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr. Bouteflika, and the Algerian authorities are working hard to improve the living conditions of Algerian citizens in many different areas. We have laws that criminalize violence against women and children, and we are strengthening the protection of the rights of divorced women and other legislative efforts that add to our political and institutional success in supporting Algerian women. We have been addressing such matters in our elected bodies and our central Government. The celebration in 2015 of the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations should be an opportunity to renew the commitment of all Member States to bring new and stronger vigour, efficacy and credibility to multilateralism. We have the joint responsibility to work to establish a world that is safer and fairer and shows more solidarity. This powerful juncture, at which we bring together all of our peoples within the fold of our founding values, should also be confirmed by action. There are apprehensions, uncertainties and challenges tied to fear and need, but if we face up to them the United Nations will certainly live up to its role as the last haven for the hope of humankind in a better future.