President Bouteflika Awards Rank To The First Female General Of The ANP

PRESIDENT BOUTEFLIKA AWARDS RANK TO THE 1" FEMALE GENERAL OF THE ANP

Fatima-Zahra Ardjoun, first female general of the ANP

“It is only through seriousness and self-sacrifice in the accomplishment of one’s duty that one can succeed.”

On more than one level, the event deserves being highlighted and it is in the spirit and the letter of the political guidelines and instructions of the Head of State who has constantly advocated the emancipation of the rights and the role of the Algerian woman in all national sectors. On the basis of this vision which establishes the fight of the Algerian woman, clearly present on all fronts, and the demands induced by the tasks of modernizing the ANP and making it professional, the status of general of military personnel, adopted in 2006 by the two houses of Parliament, reinforces the legal mechanisms aiming to assure the principle of equal opportunities in recruitment, training and career development. General Fatima-Zahra Ardjoun, born in Kharchi, head of the hematology department of the central hospital of the army in AYn Naadja, professor and researcher, is the first woman to be promoted to the rank of general within the ANP as of 5 July 2009. “This promotion is the recognition I see through all Algerian women, whether they have participated in the fight for freedom, or those who, each in her domain and as far as she is able, have actively contributed to the construction process of the national State. It is true that my objectives have been achieved and I am proud to have participated, in my domain and within the framework of the task entrusted to me, in the establishment of emancipation of the Algerian woman. 1 would like to recall that if I am here today, it is because I have always been supported by my parents, particularly my father, without whom I would never be here, but also by my husband who has always given me constant support and encouragement. I would also like to say that it is only through seriousness and self-sacrifice in the accomplishment of one’s duty that one can succeed. But, above all, I would like to address the growing generation of young dynamic and committed women to tell them that they have, today, additional motivation for pushing forward and getting more involved in the major projects of the nation. I would like to express my great pride in having been appointed by my institution to assume this rank and, above all, I would like to thank the President of the Republic because he has opened an additional door on the path towards emancipation and freedom.”