Algeria Highlights Progress in Women’s Empowerment and National Development Goals
Algeria's second Voluntary National Report (RNV) on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (ODDs) has been published, setting a mid-term benchmark for the 2030 deadline. Presented within the framework of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum, this document not only reviews progress since 2015 but also outlines a clear roadmap for the remaining years, emphasizing inclusive growth, social justice, territorial equity, and national solidarity as core development drivers. The report underscores the state's reinforced social ambitions, guided by the principle of “leaving no one behind” as it details priorities for the 2026-2030 period.
The report highlights significant advancements in gender equality and women's empowerment, a dynamic enshrined in the 2020 Constitution and reinforced by Algeria's commitment as a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Notably, women's representation in higher education reached 65.7% in 2024, an increase from 60% in 2015, and they constitute approximately 49% of the judiciary. Their presence is also growing across various qualified sectors, including health and education. To further bolster women's economic empowerment and inclusion, public authorities are actively utilizing mechanisms such as the National Microcredit Management Agency (Angem), the auto-entrepreneur status, women's entrepreneurship programs, and rural women's houses, particularly in the Southern and Hauts Plateaux wilayas. These initiatives support the creation of income-generating activities, entrepreneurial guidance, incubation, mentoring, and project financing. Furthermore, a national strategy against violence targeting women includes a strengthened legal framework, reception centers, a dedicated helpline, and free psychological and legal support, alongside efforts to enhance police awareness on handling gender-based violence complaints.
Algeria's social ambition extends to the eradication of poverty, with extreme poverty now controlled at less than 0.5% and a target to eliminate it entirely by 2030, while aiming for a national poverty rate below 3%. Significant strides have been made in social protection, with coverage expanding from 55.2% in 2015 to 67% in 2024, with continuous progress targeted, especially for informal and self-employed workers. The state supports this through various mechanisms including local solidarity units that intervene in remote areas to enhance access to health, education, rights, and economic integration. The nation has also seen improvements in health outcomes, with life expectancy rising to 79.6 years in 2023 and a 20% reduction in maternal mortality. Primary schooling is now universal at 100%, and ambitious goals are set for higher education enrollment and enhancing the quality and employability of graduates, particularly in digital, renewable energy, agri-food, and health sectors. Material living conditions have also seen improvements, with 1,700,479 housing units distributed between 2020 and 2024. Access to drinking water stands at 98% in 2024, with a goal to reach at least 99% by 2030, alongside significant increases in sanitation connection and national desalination capacity.
The report emphasizes a shift from an assistance-based model to one of “productive social investment,” where public support fosters autonomy. This holistic approach sees health, education, housing, social protection, water, employment, and women's empowerment as interdependent components of the integrated 2030 Agenda, backed by the mobilization of 51 national sectors and organizations. Algeria's commitment to territorial equity is also paramount, with targeted efforts to address the needs of the Hauts Plateaux, the South, rural zones, and remote areas through infrastructure development, telecommunications, and dedicated insertion programs. The digitization of public services is set to further reduce social and geographical disparities. At this mid-point to 2030, Algeria's RNV outlines a robust architecture, aspiring to transform targets into sustainable results, reduce disparities across wilayas, and ensure economic diversification creates wide-ranging social opportunities, solidifying a model where social protection, human capital, and territorial equity drive economic transformation.
