People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee(SOCHUM): Combating Racism and Xenophobia
When people have differences, there are bound to be prejudices. Racism and xenophobia are forms of it, the former in regards to race and the latter in regards to anything perceived as foreign at all. As these ideas have pervaded societies, the prejudice has, as times, become systemic. Tensions escalate from there to lead into violence and genocide. So long as xenophobia and racism persist, the gate is open for further atrocities to be committed. While ideological changes cannot easily be suggested or enforced, delegates in SOCHUM must explore the different options.
Differences among people exist and have existed for centuries in every nation, and Algeria is no exception. Once part of the Ottoman Empire and then colonized by the French, Algeria has seen its fair share of prejudice. This, combined with a need for cheap labor, led Algeria, just a territory of Arab conquest at the time, to host black slaves in the 8th century. When Algeria became a part of the French empire, slavery was outlawed and continues to be to this day. Algeria’s past isn’t perfect, but many other nations share similar experiences. Racial biases left over from past times may still exist in some pockets, but it is not systematically supported.
As for xenophobia, one may think immediately of Islam when thinking of Algeria. Algeria does not abide by Sharia law, despite a vast majority of Algerian citizens practice Islam. Our government does not sponsor or encourage attacks or discrimination of minority groups in any aspect.
The delegation of Algeria hopes that fellow delegates will come together to solve these issues while also recognizing that some matters are up to individual nations. We recognize that the identification of cases of racism and xenophobia is subjective and varies from nation to nation. The delegation of Algeria will support resolutions that simply suggest ways to combat any specific problems identified in committee but will not support resolutions that suggest changes that fundamentally undermine nations’ culture and beliefs. The delegation of Algeria looks forward to working with fellow delegates to address the topic of combating racism and xenophobia.
- Tananya Prankprakma
