Speech by H.E Mr. Ahmed Attaf Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad at the General Debate of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly - New York – 30/09/2024

Thank you, Mr. President.

We are once again meeting at our United Nations organization while our world is going through a very critical, sensitive and dangerous juncture:

• A juncture characterized by the accumulation of conflicts, crises and wars, the widening gap in developmental disparities between the North and the South, and the exacerbation of climate change and environmental risks of all kinds and forms,

• A juncture that reveals the extent of the deficit that has afflicted the collective security system in light of the tendency to resolve disputes by force, the excessive and selective recourse to unilateral punitive measures, laxity in fulfilling the obligations undertaken, and disregard for international legality, as well as the spread of the phenomenon of polarization and the accompanying enforced absence of the role of the Security Council and the decline that affects the entire multilateral international work,

• Last but not least, a juncture that puts the system of International relations as a whole, based on the rules, principles and controls codified by the United Nations Charter, and based on the mechanisms, structures and institutions that have been put in place to serve the aspirations, ambitions and goals that bind our countries.

- From this perspective, looking forward to the eighth decade of the United Nations should be an opportunity to renew our commitment to what unites us in an international system based on the rule of law, not the rule of power, on the power of law, not the law of power, and on the power of logic, not the logic of power. Today, we are in dire need of renewing our commitment and resorting to the United Nations Charter and the rules of international law, before which we are all equal and in the duty to respect and abide by them.

- What is happening in Gaza in terms of a war of genocide that has been ongoing for almost a year, and what is happening in terms of the extension of this war to the West Bank recently, and to Lebanon currently, and what is happening in the entire region in terms of Israeli escalation with multiple aspects and fronts, all of this would have happened if the international community had taken a firm stance at the time, imposing on the Israeli settlement occupation what was imposed on others in terms of punitive procedures and deterrent measures that were codified in the charter of this organization in its seventh chapter.

- The international community should today hasten to put an end to the hell imposed on the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples, and to curb the Israeli occupier and its desire to plunge the Middle East region into a cycle of crises, conflicts and permanent and endless wars. The international community should also realize that it is facing a critical and pivotal stage in the history of the Palestinian cause:

• A stage that does not accept a return to what came before it,

• A stage that does not accept hesitation or laziness in supporting the Palestinian national project,

• A stage that does not tolerate procrastination or delay in supporting the move towards establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state as a just, permanent and final solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

- From this platform, and in its previous session, the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, called on our international organization to expedite the acceptance of full membership for the State of Palestine. This was in less turbulent, crisis-ridden and tragic circumstances in the occupied Palestinian territories and in the rest of the Palestinian neighborhood.

- Today, as the Palestinian cause is going through its darkest historical phase ever, this approach has become imperative, pressing and urgent. The full membership of the State of Palestine in our organization remains a decisive step towards preserving the two-state solution, and towards confronting the Israeli occupation's attempts to thwart, or even abort, it, and towards preserving the constants of resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict and the foundations of security and stability in the region.

- As for the developments in its regional neighborhood, Algeria's conviction remains firm that confronting the complex challenges facing the countries and peoples of the region requires international support and global solidarity to lift the various stakes that are weighing heavily on the entire space of our African affiliation.

- In the same space, my country aspires to a final liquidation of colonialism, by turning the last page of its pages that unfortunately still exist before us on the land of Western Sahara. The Secretary-General of the United Nations and his Personal Envoy have all our support and backing in view of their efforts aimed at enabling the two parties to the conflict, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front, to resume the path of direct negotiations with the aim of reaching a political solution that guarantees the Sahrawi people the exercise of their inalienable and imprescriptible right to self-determination.

- To those who bet on consecrating the colonial fait accompli by buying time, falsifying compelling data and intensifying desperate maneuvers to divert attention from what is fixed and clear, we affirm that the phenomenon of colonialism is destined to disappear, sooner or later, and that the legitimate and legal rights of the Sahrawi people will find their way to implementation sooner or later.

- As for neighboring Libya, Algeria stresses the necessity of accelerating the treatment of the scourge of foreign interventions that exhaust the capabilities of this brotherly country and fuel the clashes and conflicts between its people. Then, and only then, can the Libyan brothers come together on a consensual basis that facilitates the achievement of the goals of national reconciliation and facilitates the move towards organizing free, fair and transparent elections. All this is in the service of the highest goal that we hope for and implore from the bottom of our hearts, which is the unification of Libya, its people, land, government and institutions.

- At the continental level, Algeria continues its efforts and endeavors aimed at making a qualitative contribution to the comprehensive African work, in light of the priorities that the continental agenda has determined decisively and unequivocally:

• Africa looks forward first to activating African solutions of origin, development and implementation to extinguish the fuses of conflicts and resolve the various crises and disputes that the countries and peoples of the continent are suffering from.

• Secondly, Africa looks forward to winning the bets of economic development and joining the ranks of the revolutions currently taking place in the fields of artificial intelligence, digitization and renewable energy.

• Thirdly, Africa looks forward to advancing its strategic priorities that lie at the heart of reforming international financial, monetary and banking institutions to improve African representation in them, structurally addressing global debt, as well as international financing appropriate to the requirements of development at the continental level.

• Fourthly and finally, Africa looks forward to correcting the historical injustice imposed on it in the Security Council and enabling it to occupy its rightful place in this central UN body, extending its recent accession as a permanent member of the G20.

- With the same commitment that it has at the continental level, Algeria continues its endeavors and efforts aimed at establishing a balanced, beneficial and purposeful partnership in its neighborhood in the Sahara Sahel.

- It is a region that is experiencing fragile conditions due to the worsening political unrest, the increasing terrorist threats, the spread of poverty and the absence of sustainable development prospects, in addition to the exacerbation of climate change.

- In light of these conditions, Algeria renews its absolute solidarity with all countries and peoples of the Sahel-Saharan region, affirming its firm conviction that its security, stability and well-being are an integral part of the security, stability and well-being of its neighborhood and its African affiliation space.

- A representative of a country from this space has uttered and dared to address my country with vile words that are absolutely unbecoming of the dignity of such a position, and it is absolutely not right to go along with him in his trivial and vile verbal outburst. My country will only respond to such low-class, ill-mannered language with polite, refined language, a language that truly reflects its loyalty and devotion to the deep-rooted ties that unite it with the countries and peoples of the region, unaffected by the passing circumstantial factors, however bad they may be or the poor character of those who incite them.

My country has a strong will, an outstretched hand, and a broad heart whenever circumstances require dealing with all our brothers in order to build a coastal edifice that enjoys security, safety, tranquility, and prosperity.

- Today, Algeria is taking firm and solid steps on the right path established by the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to strengthen the political and institutional stability of the country, to build a strong and diversified national economy that ends dependence on the hydrocarbon sector, and to enhance the social character of the Algerian state as a fixed principle and as a solid heritage of our liberation revolution heritage.

- This approach has borne its first fruits by consecrating the country's security and stability and consolidating its democratic path, especially during the last presidential elections, as well as by establishing the foundations for a complete and comprehensive economic renaissance, a renaissance that has restored the national economy to its position in Africa among the three strongest economies on the continent, and has opened up wide opportunities for cooperation and partnership that are profitable for all parties in it.

- In light of these achievements, Algeria is working to strengthen its relations with all sisterly, friendly and partner countries in its areas of affiliation and outside these areas of affiliation. My country also looks forward to continuing to work closely with all member states of our international organization that share the same commitment and concern for upholding the principles and values enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

- Although the situation our world is going through today is so difficult and dangerous that it discourages the strongest wills and discourages the most ardent and determined resolves, we are very confident that hope remains and that ambition remains available. From the heart of crises opportunities are born, from the womb of suffering the determination sharpens, and from the heart of adversity hope shines for a tomorrow that we hope from the bottom of our hearts will be better for current and future generations.

- Thank you, Mr. President.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvnBYF5Q3gM