Committee: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Country: Algeria
Agenda: Ensuring Gender Equality by Alleviating Discrimination Against Women
Delegate Name: Priyanka Kumari

1.Introduction and country’s stance:

Gender equality is the state in which access to rights and opportunities is unaffected by
gender including economic participation and decision making. Also, it is state of valuing
different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally regardless of gender. Algeria’s
constitution enshrines the principle of non-discrimination based on sex and requires the
state to take positive actions to ensure equality of rights and duties of all citizens, women
and men. There has been progress over last decades; More girls are going to school, fewer
girls are forced into early marriage, more women are serving into parliament and positions
of leadership and laws are being reformed to advance gender equality. Despite these gains,
many challenges remain: discriminatory laws and social norms remain pervasive, women
continue to be underrepresented at all levels of political leadership, and 1 in 5 women and
girls between the ages of 15 and 49 report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an
intimate partner within a 12-month period.
2.Algeria’s stance:
Marking off progress made in past 20 years in social, economic, and political spheres. Algeria
highlights recent gains such as the adoption of a Working Woman’s Charter which aims to
reconcile family and professional obligations and the participation of women in company
management as well as in trade unions. In February 2016, Algeria’s parliament introduced
an article proclaiming that the “state works to attain parity between women and men in the
job market,” and “encourages the promotion of women to positions of responsibility in
public institutions and in businesses. “On December 10, 2015, parliament adopted
amendments to the penal code specifically criminalizing some forms of domestic violence.
Assault against one’s spouse or former spouse can be punished by up to 20 years in prison,
depending on the victim’s injuries, and the perpetrator can face a life sentence for attacks
resulting in death. The amendments also criminalize sexual harassment in public places.
Despite these gains Algeria’s Family Code continues to discriminate against women despite
some amendments in 2005 that improved women’s access to divorce and child custody. An
adult woman still requires a male guardian to conclude her marriage contract, a
requirement not imposed on men. A man can divorce unilaterally, while a woman must
apply to the courts. If a woman wishes to divorce without her husband’s consent and
without justification, she needs to pay back her dowry, or an equivalent amount of money,
to her husband in return for the divorce. This is particularly problematic as the code does
not recognize marital property, provisions that values women’s non-monetary contributions
to the marriage at the time of termination.
3.United nations and other organization’s involvement in ensuring gender equality:
There are many organizations which are regularly campaigning to spread awareness of
gender-based violence. Likewise, UN has made significant progress in advancing gender
equality, through agreements such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
The AWID closely works with activists and policy makers worldwide to influence gender
policies and practice. It facilitates dialogue and strategies on key issues by connecting actors
to share their knowledge, experiences and ideas on relevant issues and mobilizes gender
equality movements to support collective actions with feminist causes. WEDO partners up
with the like-minded organizations and individuals and engages in advocacy to affect policy
processes to ensure women’s human rights are respected.
4.Possible Solutions:

 Despite adoption of the law, Algeria has yet to adopt, such as protection orders to
protect women from violence and concrete duties on law enforcement to respond to
domestic violence.
 Action to enlarge women’s participation in economic, social and political activities.

 Diversification of special training and education programmes for disabled girls and
women.
 Actions to enhance women aware of their rights, to improve their health conditions
at work environment, encouragement of literacy programme targeting women (in
rural areas).
5.References:
www.peacewomen.org.
www.unwomen.org.
www.refworld.org.
www.hrw.org.
www.unicef.org.