114th Regular Session of Arab League’s Economic and Social Council at Senior Officials-level Convenes

The 114th regular session of the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League at the level of Senior Officials was held at the League's Secretariat General in Cairo. Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector at the Arab League Ambassador Haifa Abu Ghazaleh said that the meeting discussed proposed draft resolutions to be submitted to the Council's Ministerial-level meeting taking place on Thursday. She added that member state senior officials were briefed on the Council's Economic and Social Committees' reports and recommendations, which met from September 1 to 3. In a statement release by the Arab League on Wednesday, Abu Ghazaleh highlighted the importance of the economic and social development items discussed by the meeting, especially with regards to the agenda of the upcoming Arab Summit in Iraq. She also noted the significant social issues addressed, including support for social conditions in the State of Palestine, as well as social support's role in achieving equity and pro viding equal opportunities in education and adult education, culture, green future, in addition to topics relating to the Arab pharmaceutical industry, the youth, the elderly, the promotion of the Arabic language, and the Arab Reading Challenge, among others. For his part, HE Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Economic Affairs Sector at the Arab League Ambassador Ali bin Ibrahim Al Malki pointed out that the council discussed important economic topics in light of the Economic Committee's work, including support for the Palestinian economy, the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, developments with regards to the Arab Customs Union, investment in Arab states, improving the performance of specialized Arab organizations, Arab food security and its sustainability, and significant initiatives by several member states in various economic fields. In her opening speech earlier, Abu Ghazaleh said that this session is being held at a time when the Arab region continues to face unprecedented and exceptional conditio ns due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, not only against the State of Palestine but also extending to southern Lebanon and beyond. She added that this brutal Israeli aggression has become the foundation of the social, humanitarian, and economic tragedy experienced by many Arab countries, in disregard to all international legitimacy resolutions and basic humanitarian principles. The Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector at the Arab League added that it is known to all what kind of difficult social and humanitarian conditions are resulting from this aggression; with Gaza's infrastructure destroyed, families and children displaced, and the number of martyrs and the injured rising around the clock, without any distinction between children, women, the elderly, and people with disabilities, noting that the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported 40,819 deaths and 94,291 injured since October 7. Abu Ghazaleh stressed that this tragedy is unprecedented in history, calling on the Econom ic and Social Council to develop the necessary plans and programs in collaboration with Arab League bodies and partners to mitigate these impacts as much as possible, along with setting a future vision for when life goes back to normal. She also highlighted the effects of natural disasters such as floods in some Arab countries and their impact on economic, social, and humanitarian conditions. Source: Qatar News Agency