Biography
Ambassador of Algeria to the Netherlands and Permanent Representative of Algeria to OPCW, H.E. Salima Abdelhak
Her Excellency Mrs. Salima Abdelhak is a career diplomat with over 30 years of experience in international economic and political affairs, across both bilateral and multilateral diplomatic practice. Since January 2022, she has served as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
H.E. Salima Abdelhak is also the Permanent Representative of Algeria to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and also serves as Algeria’s Governor to the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), based, respectively in the Hague and in Amsterdam.
She also ensures Algeria’s representation and engagement with other key international institutions, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Additionally, she closely follows developments and activities of other multilateral organizations, such as the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), based in The Hague.
Prior to her appointment in the Netherlands, Ambassador Salima Abdelhak served as the first Ambassador of Algeria to the Republic of Azerbaijan from 2019 to 2022, where she was entrusted with opening her country’s embassy. She successfully established both the embassy and the ambassador’s residence, and laid all the necessary foundations to elevate the Algerian-Azerbaijani bilateral relations to a higher level.
Before her ambassadorial assignments, Ambassador Abdelhak held several senior positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 2009 and 2019. She served as Director for Economic Relations and International Cooperation (2018–2019), Director for Multilateral Trade Organizations (2015–2018), Deputy Director for Cooperation with Multilateral Trade Organizations and Institutions (2010–2014), and Senior Counsellor in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (2014–2015).
Actively involved in numerous multilateral negotiation processes, Ambassador Salima Abdelhak has worked extensively on issues related to international cooperation, trade, sustainable development and energy. She participated as a negotiator in the process of the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), (2012-2018). She also served as a member of the national committee in charge of the negotiation within the process of Algeria’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), (2010-2019). Additionally, she contributed to the OPEC drafting committee for the OPEC–non-OPEC Cooperation Charter (2018) and participated as a political focal point and a negotiator in the ad hoc preparatory committees in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit of Heads of State and Government, (2010-2019).
At the domestic level, Ambassador Abdelhak coordinated Algeria’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as the Chair of the national committee responsible for its preparation and as the Algeria focal point to VNR at the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. She also led the interministerial committee to review of the Strategic Framework for Cooperation between Algeria and the United Nations System. She presented lectures on economic diplomacy and SDG’s.
Ambassador Salima Abdelhak served as a diplomat at Algeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2005 to 2009, where she focused on a broad range of critical issues, including humanitarian affairs, human rights, women’s empowerment, social development, and engagement with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Her tenure significantly strengthened her expertise in multilateral diplomacy, shaping a profile characterized by a commitment to cooperation, constructive consultation, and the pursuit of shared international interests.
She joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through a competitive examination, in 2002 and served as a desk office of international environment and sustainable development at the General Direction for Multilateral Affairs and participated to the negotiations WITH THE Conferences of Parties to UNFCCC, Ramsar AND THE Convention on desertification
Before that she worked at Algerian Customs in the Department of Cooperation from 1995 to 2001, within the framework of the Mutual Assistance Agreement among the Customs Administrations of Mediterranean Countries and in the Department of communication at the office of the CEO.
Ambassador Salima Abdelhak holds a Bachelor of Arts in Translation and Interpretation from the University of Algiers, a Master degree in Economics from the same institution, and a degree in Italian Language and Culture from the University of Perugia in Italy. She is also a post-graduate of the Diplomatic and International Relations Institute in Algiers (IDRI) and has completed advanced studies and professional development programs at Merton College, Oxford (UK); the Centre for Applied Studies in International Negotiations (CASIN) in Geneva; and the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in Strasbourg. In addition, she has participated in numerous specialized trainings related to the World Trade Organization (WTO), leadership, and multilateral diplomacy, including programs organized by UNITAR.