Nuclear: Algeria Sounds the Alarm at the UN

From the United Nations podium, Algeria has issued a stark warning regarding the precarious state of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. The failure of two consecutive review conferences has placed the very relevance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at a crossroads, a sentiment expressed with uncharacteristic bluntness by Algeria's Permanent Representative to the UN, Amar Bendjama.

Algeria, serving as the vice-president of the 11th NPT Review Conference, is making a fervent appeal to the international community. The nation stresses the urgent need to preserve what remains of the cornerstone of global nuclear security. The diagnosis presented is severe, and the warning is solemn: the NPT, which has underpinned international security for over half a century, is in a profound crisis.

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L’échec de deux conférences d’examen consécutives a placé la pertinence même de ce régime à la croisée des chemins.

This alarming assessment is framed within a context of heightened global geopolitical tensions, reminiscent of the Cold War era. The last two NPT review conferences, in 2015 and 2022, concluded without a final document, paralyzed by divisions between nuclear-armed states and non-nuclear states over disarmament timelines and modalities. This paralysis significantly weakens the entire non-proliferation framework.

By raising its voice at the UN, Algeria reaffirms its role as a prominent voice for the Global South on international security matters. The country reiterates its long-held diplomatic objective: a world free from nuclear weapons, a vision actively pursued through initiatives like the Treaty of Pelindaba, which aims for the denuclearization of Africa. Algeria's stance underscores that a nuclear-weapon-free world is not a distant utopia but an immediate necessity.

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fédérer ses efforts pour restaurer la crédibilité du régime de non-prolifération et à œuvrer à un monde débarrassé des armes nucléaires