The 112th Ministerial Session of the Economic and Social Council (ESC) of the Arab League at the level of senior officials began its work yesterday at the Arab League General Secretariats headquarters in Cairo.
The two-day session meetings fall within preparations for the council’s ministerial meeting set for tomorrow.
The meeting is set to discuss the agenda of the 5th Arab Economic and Social Development Summit and the 33rd Arab Summit.
In a speech during the opening meeting, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector of the League of Arab States ambassador Haifa Abu Ghazaleh said that this session will address important issues received from member states, councils and specialised Arab organisations, within the framework of preparing for the 5th Arab Economic and Social Development Summit.
She pointed to the co-ordination between the Secretariat General of the Arab League and member states in addressing topics that are a priority for the joint economic and social development work, while taking into account the difficult situations facing many countries in the region, especially regarding food security and its direct impact on economy and social life.
Abu Ghazaleh noted the preparation of a concept paper on issues of social development, which links food security with daily human life and all relevant aspects.
Topics that are set to be discussed on Wednesday include the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), the development of the Arab Customs Union, support for Palestine’s economy, the Arab food security report, Arab-international social development co-operation, in addition to other topics that represent a priority for joint Arab economic and social action and enhance Arab efforts of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
