Doha: The President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, reaffirmed on Tuesday that Algeria will continue to serve as an effective and responsible partner in international endeavors aimed at achieving sustainable development and fostering a more just and united world.
According to Algeria Press Service, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Azouz Nasri, Speaker of the Council of the Nation, at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar, President Tebboune stated: “My country, Algeria, will continue to play its role as an effective and responsible partner in international efforts to achieve sustainable development and build a more just, solidarity-based, and human world, grounded in respect for national sovereignty and the promotion of international cooperation based on mutual respect.”
President Tebboune explained that, through its participation in the Doha summit, Algeria aims to “highlight its approach to social development, which rests on a national vision that has made social justice, the protection of vulnerable groups, and the promotion of inclusion the cornerstones of its public policies, in line with the commitments of the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
Algeria has “paid particular attention to improving living standards, combating poverty, and enhancing purchasing power through measures such as raising the national minimum wage, establishing unemployment benefits for first-time young job seekers, reviewing wages and pensions, exempting low incomes from taxes, and extending solidarity grants to vulnerable groups and people with disabilities, provided free treatment and transportation for the elderly, and designated a national day to honor them on April 27 of each year.”
In an effort to achieve comprehensive social coverage, President Tebboune said, “Algeria has extended health protection to include students, the unemployed, and people with chronic diseases, while guaranteeing free treatment in public institutions and covering treatment costs in the private sector through social security.”
In 2020, it also launched a development plan for marginalized areas aimed at “ending isolation and achieving social justice by improving basic services, along with extensive programs in the areas of social and rural housing and the elimination of more than 45,000 substandard dwellings.”
In the area of women’s empowerment and the protection of their rights, President Tebboune noted that Algeria “has adopted comprehensive reforms that guarantee equal pay, equal opportunities, and political participation, enshrined the principle of equality in the granting of citizenship, and extended maternity leave to 150 days. It has also created a maintenance fund for divorced women with minor children and enabled women to attain positions of responsibility and participate in trade unions, as well as empowering them economically through various financing mechanisms.”
“With regard to child protection, the President of the Republic added that this year nearly 12 million students benefited from free education, school support, transportation, nutrition, and health coverage, and that the National Authority for the Protection and Promotion of Children was established.”
With regard to addressing employment challenges, President Tebboune highlighted the “structural reforms” undertaken by Algeria, such as “the enactment of a new transparent investment law, the promotion of start-ups and innovative projects, the alignment of training with the needs of the labor market, and support for entrepreneurship.”
Algeria has also made food security “a national priority by protecting natural resources and encouraging agricultural investment to ensure food security,” said the President, who also emphasized that, in the context of digital transformation, “Algeria has declared 2023 the National Year of Artificial Intelligence and has reaffirmed its commitment to the seven principles of international governance of artificial intelligence, foremost among which are ensuring digital justice and promoting data sovereignty.”
On the other hand, President Tebboune reiterated “Algeria’s commitment to the values of peace, coexistence, and respect for international law,” as well as “its support for the right of peoples to self-determination, as a fundamental pillar of justice and human rights.”
The Speaker of the Council of the Nation began his speech by conveying the greetings of President Tebboune and his sincere greetings to his brother His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, as well as his sincere wishes for the success of this important global summit.
Nasri also expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the sisterly State of Qatar for its warm welcome and generous hospitality.