Despite having important reserves of natural resources, such as gas and crude oil, the majority of Algerian households do not benefit from the export revenues. Citizens are dealing, on a daily basis, with great social challenges: sharp decline in terms of quality of the basic services (access to housing, health care or education), very high unemployment rate among youth and low paid jobs lacking social coverage.
PES Deputy Secretary General Yonnec Polet stated that the PES “will continue to support the progressive forces and civil society groups”, adding “real political change must take place in order to answer to the citizens’ aspirations for more justice, liberty, democracy and social justice”.
The PES strongly supports its Algerian partner, the Socialist Forces Front (FFS), which has always advocated for more social progress in the country. Since the start of the Arab uprisings, we played an active role and cooperated intensively with our North African partners. The PES has established the Arab Spring Task Force, supported the set up of an Arab Social Democratic Forum and organized a number of conferences, seminars and fact finding missions to the MENA region to inform policy decisions.
