Disasters, Conflicts and Migration

For a more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters Country Profile.

Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities

The climate of Algeria varies considerably from north to south. The coastal area has a Mediterranean climate, while the highlands south of the coast have hot summers and cold winters with little rain. In large parts of the country there are significant changes between daytime and night-time temperatures. Further south, the Sahara Desert begins with even more extreme differences in temperatures between day and night.

The seasons’ effects on storage is minimal. For the handling, the working hours and the effectiveness of the workers are likely to be affected by the extremely high temperatures.

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

Government

A significant part of Algeria’s territory is exposed to earthquakes, flooding, drought, forest fires, landslides, locust infestation, and the risk of tsunamis. More than 90 per cent of the country’s population lives along a coast that accounts for only 12 per cent of the country’s landmass. Dense urban settlements coupled with migration, poverty, unemployment, and a housing crisis make most of the population vulnerable to a nexus of natural and socio-economic hazards.

 In the aftermath of the 1980 El Asnam earthquake which caused 2633 deaths, 8369 injuries, 29,747 destroyed houses and made 478,949 people homeless, Algeria finalized a national construction code by 1983.The national government adopted a disaster reduction and management plan in 1985 and dedicated technical capacities for the development and dissemination of seismic knowledge, monitoring, and in-depth research by 1987.

In 2004 the country adopted the Law on Prevention of Major Risks and Disaster Management, and the National Scheme for Land Use Planning (SNAT), which was later updated in 2010 with risk-sensitive provisions for land management and urban planning. In 2004, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development also issued new seismic regulations for structures.

Since 2005the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has acted as a principal ally to improve Algeria’s institutional capacities. With the Government of Algeria, UNDP initiated a first national disaster risk management (DRM) project with a focus on developing local capacities and technical know-how for DRR across nine wilayas (districts). During this period, bilateral and regional cooperation was also initiated to further strengthen national capacities for DRR.

The Délégation nationale aux risques majeurs (National Delegation for Major Risks), appointed as of 2012, is now coordinating multiple sectors to reduce major risks across Algeria’s territory.

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List.

Humanitarian Community

For the last thirty years, the majority of Sahrawi refugees have lived spread over four camps located around Tindouf in the South-Western part of Algeria. This refugee population is dependent on international aid.

Several humanitarian agencies are present in the field to support the refugees, among them UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, ECHO, OXFAM, Spanish Red Cross, and Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (CISP). The Algerian partner for these agencies is the Algerian Red Crescent.

UNHCR’s purpose is to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge from war and persecution. UNHCR also protects stateless people and pays attention to the needs of children and seeks to promote the equal rights of women and girls.

In 2019, WFP distributed almost 134,000 in-kind rations to meet the basic food and nutritional needs of food-insecure refugees.

UNICEF, in partnership with the government promotes respect for the rights of children and adolescents in Algeria.

For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link: 4.2 Humanitarian Agency Contact List.

The Algerian Centre of Quality Control and Packaging (CACQE) is a public institution placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Trade. It is created by the executive decree No. 89-147 of 8 August 1989 and amended and supplemented by the executive decree No. 03-318 of 30 September 2003.

CACQE is an intermediate space that constitutes on one hand a technical support for the authorities in charge of quality and safety control of the products and, on the other hand a support for economical operators, in order to assist them in the implementation of programs related to the promotion of national production quality.

The center's main mission is the protection of health, safety of the consumer.  The main activities can be grouped in the following points:

• Analytical control that consists of verifying the compliance of the products with his characteristic regulatory standards or specifications
• Management, Development of quality testing laboratories;
• Promotion the quality of goods and services production;
• Participation in the elaboration of the standards of foods and services available for consumption, in national technical committees;
• Information, communication and consumer awareness;
• Assistance and support for the economical operators in order to master the quality of goods and services placed on the market.

For more information on regulatory departments and quality control laboratories’ contact details, please see the following links: 4.1 Government Contact List and 4.3 Laboratory and Quality Testing Company Contact List.

Duties and Tax Exemption

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link:  4.1 Algeria Government Contact List.

Emergency Response

Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response)

The following regulations govern the entry of humanitarian goods into Algeria:

• Framework Article 109 of the Finance Law of 1987 (amended and completed) relates to the conditions for the importation of goods.
• Inter-ministerial Order of 22 November 1994 contains the list of approved organizations permitted to receive goods.
• Circular # 71/DGD/CAB/130 of 19 September 1999 on the General Management of Customs related to customs formalities for imported goods.
• Inter-ministerial Order of 23 June 1996 determining the practical terms and conditions of shipping goods coming from abroad.
• Law # 90/31 of 04 December 1990 regarding organizations.
• Order # 38/MSP/CAB/MIN of 20 April 1997 completed by the Order of 11 September 1999 of the Ministry of Health and Population containing the list of restored medical equipment prohibited from import and commercialization.
• Articles 48 and 49 of the Finance Law of 2004 and Article 68 of the Finance Law of 1998 concerning age conditions of the import of tourism and utilitarian vehicles, and of engines.

Goods must meet the following conditions:

• Originate from non-governmental organizations or individuals;
• Be transported by Algerian transport companies except when these companies do not serve the shipment area;
• In the case of use of foreign shipping companies, the following conditions must be met:
  • The transported items must not be sold for profit;
  • The costs of transport be undertaken by the donor;
  • The donors must moreover opt to use the ports or airports closest to the destinations of the goods;
  • goods must bear the following identifying marks:
    • the type and brand of the product;
    • the name and address of the donor, and type of institution if applicable;
    • the name and address of the beneficiary, and type of institution if applicable;
    • expiry dates of perishable products;
  • Goods originating from Algerian organizations established abroad must transit through the relevant Algerian consulates.
  • Goods may be imported as humanitarian aid if they are designated for any of the following uses:
    • Pedagogical and cultural activities, scientific research, sport, and public service activities
    • Free distribution and other uses with humanitarian ends
    • Activities aimed at the prevention of, and the fight against, pollution. 

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements

Customs Clearance

General Information 

Customs Clearance Document Requirements

Transit Regime

N/A