Arab League's Economic and Social Council meeting begins with Qatar participating
Gulf Times
The 109th session of the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League meeting at the level of senior officials started Wednesday at the Arab League General Secretariats headquarters, to approve the draft agenda for the council's ministerial session on Thursday and the documents, reports, recommendations, and draft resolutions discussed by the council's social and economic committees at their last meeting. Qatar is participating in the session with a delegation representing the ministries of finance, commerce and industry, social affairs and family, and the General Authority of Customs. The draft agenda includes several economic articles, including the economic and social files of the Arab League's Council at the summit level in its forthcoming 31st session, the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, the developments of the Customs Union, the mechanism of work of the committees concerned with Arab economic integration, investment in Arab countries, the agreement regulating technical and financial procedures for maritime transport of passengers and goods between Arab countries, and supporting tourism innovation and smart tourism. Also, the draft agenda includes an article on the establishment of an Arab Ministerial Council concerned with the affairs of local bodies (municipalities and village councils) in the Arab countries, and several social articles including social aspects in the economic and social file of the 31st Arab Summit, follow-up the implementation of the decisions of the 4th session of the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in Beirut in January 2019, preparation for the 5th Development Summit in Mauritania in 2023, the establishment of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for Education Affairs, and the Arab international cooperation in the social and development fields. The social and economic committees of the council held their meetings, separately, on February 6 and 7 to prepare for the meeting of council's session at the senior officials level, which will be held later today, and at the ministerial level which be held on Thursday.
