Hisn Al-Mateen Bloc launches 'social reconciliation' initiative, urges parties to open up to civil society

On 15 April 2024 the national office of the Hisn Al-Mateen Bloc issued a public statement and a document entitled 'Outcomes of the Social Reconciliation Initiative' (ref. 2024/114).

The statement called on all civil-society actors — trade unions, associations and civic organisations — to come together and close ranks to protect, unify and strengthen the internal front in support of State institutions, by exchanging views and proposals towards social reforms and an economic plan that benefits citizens and the country. It argued that uniting civil society under the initiative would strengthen the State and shut the door on those seeking to fracture society, particularly given the security threats Algeria faces on its external front and borders, and stressed that answering the call to strengthen the internal front is a duty for every Algerian, whatever their status, affiliation or political leaning.

The document defines the initiative as a call for civil-society actors to come together and complement one another in building a civil society rooted in the principles and values of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, with a renewed economic, political and cultural vision that keeps pace with global change, in order to lay the foundations of the New Algeria. It is based on the participation of all social groups in dialogue, not just the political elite.

The document invites political parties to adopt and implement the initiative, recalling their role in citizens' political education and in rebuilding trust. It identifies obstacles to party work: weak implementation of programmes, opportunistic membership and distance from civil society, which have fuelled voter abstention.

It lists the gains parties can make by opening up to civil society, including:

• broadening their base and geographic reach through direct contact with organisations, unions and federations;
• strengthening their ranks with the most active campaigners and their field experience;
• gaining leaders experienced in institutional work rather than through haphazard recruitment;
• drafting realistic programmes based on accurate knowledge of civil society's economic, social and cultural needs.

The document concludes by calling on parties to involve civil society in their activities and to welcome organisations, associations, unions, federations and clubs in all their legal forms, in a spirit of complementarity and national reconciliation, for a new and strong Algeria.

The national press covered the initiative under the headline 'Hisn Al-Mateen urges parties to open up to civil society'.