ALGIERS - The National Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CNESE) has published its annual report for the year 2023, in which it hailed Algeria's ongoing commitment to development through procedures and measures taken, despite the challenges recorded, stressing the need to continue along the path of robust and resilient growth.
In this report, the CNESE considered that "the year 2023 was marked by a continued commitment to economic, social, and environmental development, despite persistent challenges", adding that "the measures taken reflected the willingness of public authorities to work to maintain the steadily rising level of growth and improve the living conditions of citizens, particularly those in vulnerable territories".
The CNESE affirmed that this effort was "remarkable" and that progress was "palpable". However, the challenges are "numerous" and "require us to maintain the course of strong, resilient growth," it asserted.
In its report, the Council studied various development indicators based on constant monitoring of current events relating to its three areas of activity, as well as on regular exchanges with various ministerial departments and public institutions, notably with a view to obtaining data and information.
The report comprises five sections: geopolitics and the international context, governance and the institutional framework, the macroeconomic and financial situation, the social situation, and the environmental dimension.
On this basis, the report concludes that Algeria's external situation has been maintained at a satisfactory level, thanks to a trade balance that continues to show a surplus, despite a global context that has become more "geopolitical" than ever, underlining both the growing prosperity enjoyed by the gas market in view of these factors and the specific characteristics of this energy product that give it a special place in the energy transition process.
On the financial front, the report underlined the importance of the national budgetary policy adopted, which is based on rationalizing the use of public resources and putting them to optimum use, ensuring transparency in the management of allocated budgets, devoting the approach to economic recovery, ensuring a social and solidarity-based policy, and preserving the purchasing power of the citizen.
It also stressed that demographic development represented "both an opportunity and a challenge," as the population offers great potential for economic and social development, particularly through the optimal exploitation of the resources of active age groups, especially women and young people.
According to the CNESE report, the living environment and well-being of the population have seen "notable progress," with the use of non-monetary approaches revealing an appreciable improvement resulting from the significant reduction in multidimensional poverty.
Measures such as the opening-up of roads, launched in 2020, have helped to overcome deprivation by providing citizens with essential basic services. At the same time, the health situation has improved, and healthcare provision has been strengthened with an increase in the number of health facilities and practitioners, improving nationwide health coverage, the report adds.
The environmental sector made some progress, notably in waste management, the protection of protected areas, and the fight against climate change, despite a series of constraints.
In parallel with this report, the CNESE published its report on social and human development for the period 2019-2023, through which it highlighted the most important achievements and challenges related to this field in Algeria, while providing an analytical presentation of the policies applied and the results achieved in terms of social progress.
In this context, the report highlights the many measures taken by public authorities in recent years to combat the financial fragility of families, preserve purchasing power, facilitate economic inclusion, particularly for young people and women, strengthen participation in wealth creation, and guarantee access to basic services.
These efforts in various fields in Algeria - according to the report - have led to palpable results, with Algeria ranked among the countries with high human development, according to reports by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which have highlighted Algeria's dominance of the Maghreb region in terms of human development.
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