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🇩🇿 Algeria - Foreign Minister Addresses United Nations General Debate, 81st Session | #UNGA — Transcript

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0:01I now give the floor to his excellency
0:03Ahmed Ataf, Minister of State, Minister
0:06for Foreign Affairs, National Community
0:08Abroad and African Affairs of Algeria.
0:37in the name of God the most gracious,
0:40the most merciful. Mr. President,
0:44I begin my statement in this general
0:48debate
0:50by extending my sincere congratulations
0:54to the sister People's Republic of
0:56Bangladesh
0:57on the election of one of its
1:00distinguished sons, Mr. Khalil Rahman
1:05as president of our general assembly.
1:10I would also like to express my profound
1:13gratitude and great appreciation to Mr.
1:17Antonio Guterish
1:19who is joining us in what is the final
1:24session of this assembly
1:26during his tenure as secretary general
1:29of the United Nations.
1:33I renew our sincere appreciation and
1:37recognition for all that he has done
1:40throughout his two terms. He stood firm
1:42in defending our organization
1:46against attempts to undermine its
1:49foundations.
1:51He worked tirelessly to strengthen its
1:55role whenever efforts were made to
1:58diminish it. He devoted himself to
2:02keeping the voice of multilateral action
2:05strong
2:07whenever attempts were made to silence
2:09it. Today we meet
2:13at a crossroads.
2:17In many parts of the world,
2:21tensions are rising,
2:25conflicts are expanding,
2:27and crises are deepening.
2:30Meanwhile,
2:31trust among nations is declining.
2:36Isolationism
2:38and polarization are intensifying,
2:43whereas selfishness and exclusion are
2:45prevailing at the expense of
2:46cooperation.
2:49Unilateral coercive measures are
2:52increasingly being imposed
2:55and the logic of power is once again
2:59reasserting itself, eclipsing the
3:01virtues of dialogue and disregarding the
3:04benefits of consensus and understanding.
3:10In such a turbulent international
3:13context, the danger lies not only in the
3:16outbreak of wars but also in the
3:19normalization and acceptance of war
3:22itself.
3:24It lies in the transformation of the
3:27exception into the rule
3:30to a situation where the rules of
3:31international law become applicable at
3:33times and suspended at others subject
3:37only to the dictates of power balances.
3:45What sort of international order can
3:48function properly when principles are
3:51selected according to the identity of
3:55those who violate them?
3:57What confidence can remain in
4:00international law when the aggressor
4:03is granted the right to self-defense
4:06while the victim is required to justify
4:11even the right to survive?
4:14And what future
4:18await humanity
4:22if imposing fate complete
4:27and
4:29once again becomes a tool for managing
4:31conflict or determining their outcome.
4:37This matter is not simply a temporary
4:41crisis facing the international system.
4:44Rather,
4:47it is a profound review of our
4:50collective conscience
4:52and our capacity to preserve and develop
4:55the order we established after two world
4:57wars so that future generations would
5:00not suffer the scourge of war.
5:05Because we failed to learn the lessons
5:07of a notsodistant history and because we
5:10did not heed these lessons and we did
5:12not transform them into measures
5:16that would protect us from the
5:19catastrophes of the past finally and
5:23in full. And because we built a system
5:26of international relations whose central
5:29purpose
5:31was to reject war
5:35and to safeguard a lasting peace, but
5:39without providing this system with the
5:42means and instruments necessary to
5:44achieve an ambition of this size.
5:47For this reason, the theme that was uh
5:50chosen by the president of our general
5:53assembly for this session,
5:55namely
5:57restoring trust
5:59and managing transformation,
6:02a United Nations delivering results for
6:04all. This theme not only reflects the
6:08challenges of our time, but also
6:11presents us with a fundamental question.
6:16How do we restore confidence in an
6:19international system
6:21whose rules and institutions have lost
6:24credibility?
6:26Algeria
6:28believes that the starting point
6:31must be
6:36from the place where the will of the
6:38international community must be
6:40embodied,
6:42namely the United Nations itself.
6:46this very place
6:48and this very hall particularly.
6:54Reforming
6:55the United Nations system
6:59is no longer an institutional luxury,
7:03nor is it a choice that can be postponed
7:07indefinitely.
7:09It has become a necessity imposed by the
7:13profound transformations the world has
7:15undergone.
7:17It is imposed by the need for a more
7:21just international order, an
7:24international order that is more
7:25representative and more equitable.
7:29We cannot ask peoples to trust in
7:32multilateralism
7:35if its institutions continue to reflect
7:37the balances of a bygone era.
7:42We cannot speak of international justice
7:46without addressing the historical
7:48imbalances
7:49that still mar the structure of
7:52international decision making.
7:56Nor can we advocate for international
7:58peace and security. While the system of
8:01international relations
8:03continues to favor war
8:08as a means of resolving dispute.
8:13Accordingly, Algeria calls for
8:16strengthening the role and the authority
8:19of the General Assembly. We called for a
8:22profound reform of the security council
8:24that would make it more representative,
8:27more equitable, and more effective,
8:30and that would put an end to selectivity
8:33and double standards in the application
8:35of international law. In this regard,
8:38Algeria reaffirms its steadfast support
8:43for the common African position.
8:46We stress that correcting the historical
8:49injustice suffered by Africa requires
8:52fair, permanent and fair African
8:54representation in the security council
8:57with full powers.
9:01If restoring trust begins with
9:03institutional reform, then it cannot be
9:06complete without doing justice to the
9:09peoples,
9:11aspiring to self-determination
9:15and the realization of their
9:19national
9:20projects. The Gulf region
9:24and the Middle East region
9:28are passing through one of the most
9:31dangerous periods in their history.
9:34Not only because of the scale of
9:36destruction
9:38left behind by successive wars, but also
9:42because of the erosion of the boundaries
9:46that separate. what is acceptable and
9:49what must remain rejected and condemned
9:52in international relations.
9:55In this context,
9:58my country
10:00follows with deep concern the continuing
10:03escalation in the Gulf region
10:06where we are witnessing a conflict that
10:08is weighing heavily on the states and
10:10peoples of the region and is undermining
10:13their security and stability and
10:15threatening
10:17the welfare and development of their
10:19peoples. peoples that have found
10:22themselves hostages, held hostage to
10:25calculations that are not their own and
10:28interests that are not their own.
10:33Algeria
10:34renews its condemnation
10:37of the violations of the sovereignty of
10:40states and their territorial integrity
10:44in the region. We stress the need to
10:46deescalate and respect international law
10:49in addressing tensions, disagreements,
10:52and disputes
10:54that have
10:58taken by storm the region's legitimate
11:00aspirations for security, peace, and
11:03tranquility.
11:05Algeria also condemns the continued
11:07Israeli attacks against countries in the
11:09region, particularly Syria and Lebanon,
11:12and its efforts to divide sisterly
11:15Somalia.
11:17In Palestine, the humanitarian tragedy
11:20continues.
11:22The Israeli occupation
11:24continues
11:26to kill Palestinian civilians,
11:29including
11:32large numbers of women and children in a
11:35scene
11:37in a scene that should never
11:41become a normalized part of the world's
11:44daily reality.
11:48The international community
11:51and we along with it
11:55welcomed the ceasefire in Gaza
11:59that entered into force almost 11 months
12:02ago.
12:04We had hoped that it would mark the
12:06beginning of a process
12:10to end the suffering of civilians,
12:14that it would pave the way towards a
12:16lasting political solution.
12:20That hope quickly faded
12:23and was extinguished
12:26in light of the occupying powers
12:27continued settlement policies and its
12:32customary disregard for concluded
12:35agreements and commitments made.
12:39From this podium, Algeria renews its
12:42full and unconditional support for the
12:44legitimate and inalienable rights of the
12:48Palestinian people.
12:52Fore foremost among them is the
12:54Palestinian people's natural right to
12:57establish an independent and fully
12:59sovereign state with Al Sharif as its
13:02capital
13:09and if the Palestinian cause
13:14constitutes
13:16a daily test of the credibility of the
13:19international
13:20legal system. Africa is yet another
13:23test.
13:25It is the test of building partnerships
13:29that are based on solidarity,
13:31development, and peace rather than
13:33simply managing crisis
13:37and addressing the repercussions without
13:40giving due attention to the root causes
13:43of these crises and their underlying
13:45foundations.
13:48Algeria
13:50is firmly attached to its African
13:52identity. It is deeply imbued with a
13:55culture of peace and dialogue. Algeria
13:58will continue to support the just causes
14:01of the peoples of the continent. Algeria
14:04will contribute to every effort that
14:07opens to them pathways towards
14:10stability, development, and integration.
14:14Within this framework, Algeria reaffirms
14:18its principal support for the right of
14:20the people of the Western Sahara to
14:23self-determination.
14:25This is based on our firm conviction
14:30that issues of decolonization cannot be
14:33resolved ever
14:35through imposing a fat plea or following
14:39that logic. Rather
14:42decolonization ends when people are
14:45unable to exercise their rights
14:48guaranteed to them under international
14:50law fully and without any distortion
14:54and without any curtailment.
15:01Algeria welcomes the organization of
15:03direct negotiations between the two
15:05parties to the conflict namely the
15:07Kingdom of Morocco and the Policario
15:09Front. At the beginning of this year,
15:14these negotiations were held under the
15:16opaces of the United Nations and with
15:18the assistance of the United States of
15:20America.
15:23From this viewpoint,
15:26allow me to present what we sincerely
15:31and genuinely
15:34consider necessary for a lasting and
15:37just solution to the question of the
15:39Western Sahara. First,
15:43Algeria stresses that the success of the
15:46negotiations process requires both
15:49parties to engage in good faith.
15:53and with a genuine commitment
15:57to reaching a political solution that is
16:01fair, lasting, and mutually acceptable
16:05away from the logic of dictates and
16:09bargains.
16:11Algeria
16:13also stresses that any serious
16:15negotiating process
16:19can only be conducted properly within
16:22the framework of the relevant United
16:24Nations references and with full respect
16:27to the organization's longstanding
16:30doctrine on decolonization.
16:33Second, Algeria warns that any attempt
16:38to circumvent
16:40this framework of reference or to
16:42marginalize those who hold legitimate
16:45rights, namely the people of the Western
16:47Sahara and their sole legitimate
16:49representative, the Politicario front.
16:52Any such attempt will not contribute to
16:54resolving the conflict. Rather, it would
16:57further complicate it and exagerbate
16:59tensions.
17:03in a region that is in dire need of
17:05stability, reassurance,
17:08cooperation and development.
17:12Third, Azure reiterates in this matter
17:15that
17:17it hosts Sahari refugees on its
17:20territory and has done so for over half
17:22a century
17:25because their land is occupied.
17:28because their land is occupied.
17:31This occupation
17:33cannot be simply summed up in a refugee
17:37issue given the choice to return
17:39voluntarily
17:41or resettle
17:43or integrate with the local hosts.
17:48It is a matter that fundamentally
17:51requires
17:56the completion of the decolonization
17:58process in the Western Sahara through a
18:01comprehensive political process.
18:05Such a process can only be achieved
18:09by the people of the Western Sahara
18:10exercising their inherent right to
18:12self-determination.
18:16This
18:18>> this is undoubtedly
18:22the correct
18:25and proper approach to addressing the
18:27situation of the last colony on the
18:29African continent.
18:32The right of peoples to
18:34self-determination
18:38remains a fundamental principle of
18:40international law.
18:44The passage of half a century cannot
18:47transform an imposed reality into a
18:50legal fact.
18:52Nor can the passage of a half a century,
18:59transform
19:01an imposed reality and a right into a
19:03legal fact, or diminish a right whose
19:06holders need no one to explain it to
19:08them. The collective memory of peoples
19:11such as is the historic experience of
19:14the United Nations both confirm that
19:17genuine peace is not built by
19:20disregarding rights. Rather, it is built
19:24through settlements that respect these
19:26rights and respond to the aspirations of
19:29those who hold these rights.
19:33Algeria views the Sahari Sahal region as
19:38a single space where the challenges of
19:43security, development and stability
19:46intersect.
19:48As president of the republic, his
19:50excellency abdun has stated,
19:54"Terrorism
19:57cannot be approached through a purely
20:00security based method. Nor can poverty
20:03and marginalization be effectively
20:06tackled in isolation from a security
20:07environment that enables terrorist
20:09groups and organized crime networks to
20:12expand and spread
20:15and take root.
20:18Security and development
20:23are not parallel tracks.
20:26They are two sides of the same coin.
20:30Accordingly,
20:32Algeria promotes an approach that is
20:34based on supporting the security of
20:37states in the region and accompanying
20:40their development efforts and
20:42encouraging reconciliation and dialogue
20:46and addressing the underlying causes of
20:48instability while respecting state
20:51sovereignty,
20:52their ter territorial integrity and the
20:55choices of their people.
21:00As a neighboring and brotherly country
21:05and in keeping with its historic
21:08commitment to solidarity, Algeria will
21:10remain ready to support the countries of
21:14the Sahal in confronting security and
21:17development challenges. We will extend
21:22a hand and support political solutions
21:26that preserve the stability of the
21:28region and open before its people's
21:31broader horizons for development and
21:33progress.
21:35As for sisterly Libya,
21:40now in the 16th year of its crisis,
21:44Libya remains another example that shows
21:47that protracted crisis
21:50cannot be resolved by deepening
21:52divisions,
21:54but rather through dialogue,
21:56reconciliation,
21:58and the unification of institutions.
22:02Algeria renews its support for a
22:05peaceful and comprehensive and Libyanled
22:08political solution.
22:11Algeria renews its support for the
22:14efforts of the United Nations
22:17and our confidence in the United Nations
22:20ability to accompany the Libyan people
22:22toward a settlement that preserves the
22:24unity of their country and its
22:25institutions.
22:27Only the Libyans can build
22:31the consensus needed to safeguard their
22:35nation.
22:36Only the Libyans are entitled to take
22:41decisions related to their destiny
22:44of their nation and
22:48their future.
22:50Algeria firmly believes that ending
22:53foreign interference
22:55in all its forms and manifestations, be
22:58they political, military or security.
23:03Ending this is an essential element in
23:06creating the conditions necessary to end
23:08division and build a Libyan state that
23:12is single and unified and stable. a
23:15Libyan state that is able to determine
23:17its own future
23:19with the will of its people.
23:25Based on the same convictions and in
23:27response to the same imperatives,
23:29Algeria expresses its steadfast support
23:32for the legitimate authorities in
23:34brotherly Yemen and the Sudan
23:37as they both seek to respond to their
23:40people's aspirations for security,
23:44stability, unity, and fraternity.
23:49This leads us to a truth that cannot be
23:53ignored.
23:55Peace cannot be built without
23:57development
23:58and development cannot flourish without
24:01security and stability.
24:04And under the leadership of the
24:05president of the republic, Abd Majit
24:07Tabun, Algeria has chosen to be an
24:09active participant
24:12in the changes that the world is
24:14witnessing today, not simply a recipient
24:18of these changes. Algeria has chosen to
24:22transform challenges into bridges
24:24towards progress, to transform its
24:27resources into levers for building a
24:32productive and diversified economy and
24:35to use knowledge and science as engines
24:37of its comprehensive national advice
24:40advancement.
24:42Algeria has incorporated sustainable
24:44development into its national programs
24:47and enshrined it in the constitution
24:49since 2020.
24:51This is based on a vision that is
24:52grounded in social justice
24:56and in economic and environmental
24:58sustainability.
25:00It is based on a clear and firm and
25:03unwavering principle that no one should
25:06be left behind and that not a single
25:10Algerian
25:12man or woman
25:14should be marginalized in the journey of
25:18national development.
25:22When presenting its
25:24voluntary national review report in July
25:272026, Algeria outlined the progress it
25:30has achieved in implementing the 17 SDGs
25:35and the efforts that it has made in that
25:38regard. Efforts that gained their true
25:42substance
25:43when those numbers
25:46became
25:47tangible improvements in all aspects of
25:50life.
25:51And this is the essence of development,
25:55transforming public policies into
25:59tangible dignity that people feel in
26:01their daily lives.
26:03And from this understanding
26:09of sustainable development,
26:12Algeria proceeds
26:14with the conviction that development
26:17cannot be fully complete unless it
26:20includes its regional
26:22surroundings and environment and unless
26:24it contributes to building a more
26:27integrated African space that is better
26:30able to face the present and future
26:32challenges.
26:34The destiny of the peoples of the
26:36continent is interconnected. Their
26:39challenges are shared. This makes
26:43solidarity and integration in Africa
26:45indispensable pillars of sustainable
26:49development.
26:54As we
26:57witness the accel accelerating
26:59technological revolution, we cannot
27:01accept that Africa would remain on the
27:03margins or simply become a consumer of
27:08its outputs.
27:10Here
27:12we note the need to invest in the
27:15African person to build scientific and
27:19digital capacities so that artificial
27:22intelligence becomes a tool for
27:24development,
27:25not a new
27:29label
27:31for another development gap between the
27:33north and the south.
27:36We call for
27:39a balanced and responsible international
27:42regulation of artificial intelligence
27:44that would guarantee equitable access to
27:46its benefits, that would preserve the
27:48sovereignty of states, and that would
27:50transform this revolution into a shared
27:53opportunity rather than an exclusive
27:56privilege or monopoly in the hands of a
27:58few.
28:01In the end, we return to the question
28:04where we began.
28:07How do we restore trust?
28:10Trust is restored when words match
28:13actions.
28:15Trust is restored when the law is
28:17applied equally to all.
28:21Trust is restored when peoples
28:25can see the United Nations as a common
28:28home,
28:30a shared home rather than an
28:32organization held hostage to the
28:34dominance of power politics.
28:38Our responsibility today
28:41is not to leave to our children a legacy
28:46of a world that is burdened with our
28:48crisis. Rather, what we owe them is to
28:51leave them a world that is better than
28:52the one that we have inherited. Let us
28:55move together forward. Not because the
28:57path is an easy one, but because the
28:59alternative to cooperation
29:02is for each of us
29:04to face the storms of this era alone,
29:09isolated
29:12and powerless.
29:16Let us make the restoration of trust a
29:19process rather than a slogan.
29:21Let us make multilateralism a reality
29:24rather than simply a principle. Let us
29:27make the United Nations in this pivotal
29:31moment
29:34a space where diplomacy regains its
29:37place, where confidence in institutions
29:40is restored and where respect for
29:43international law becomes a shared
29:46commitment rather than
29:49a
29:51matter of convenience subject to whims.
29:54Let us work together for a world where
29:56the application of law is not a
29:57privilege. In which peace is not merely
30:00the temporary absence of war and in
30:03which development is not reserved for
30:06those who came first but rather a shared
30:09right of all peoples with all their
30:11diversity
30:13and for all generations to come.
30:18This is our responsibility towards our
30:21peoples
30:23and this is the trust that we must
30:26deliver to future generations. I thank
30:28you for your kind attention.
30:36I thank the Minister of State, Minister
30:38of Foreign Affairs, National Community
30:40Abroad and African Affairs of Algeria.
30:48I now

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