The Arab League called on Wednesday for its Economic and Social Council to develop plans and programs in cooperation with the League’s agencies and partners to mitigate as much as possible the Israeli occupation aggression’s economic and social impacts of on Gaza, with a future vision of normalcy.
This came in the opening speech of the 114th session of League’s Economic and Social Council, chaired by the UAE, by the League’s Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, to prepare for the council’s ministerial meeting on Thursday.
Abu Ghazaleh said that the current council session is held amid “unprecedented exceptional circumstances’ facing the Arab region, due to the continued Israeli occupation aggression practices not only on Palestine, but also extended to southern Lebanon and some areas in Arab countries.
The brutal aggression has become the “foundation” of social, humanitarian and economic tragedy witnessed by many Arab countries as the Israeli occupation disregarded all international
legitimacy resolutions, she added.
The difficult social and humanitarian conditions resulting from this aggression have destroyed the infrastructure of Gaza Strip, displaced families and children, and the number of martyrs and injured is increasing around the clock, explained Abu Ghazaleh. In this regard, she pointed to the Palestinian Ministry of Health announcement of the risen number of martyrs that reached 40,819 deaths and the injured to 94,291, since October 7 in a tragedy first of its kind in history.
She stressed the importance of focusing on ensuring a decent life for Arab citizens within a framework of social justice and by strengthening Arab efforts aimed at implementing Arab and international resolutions and charters related to sustainable economic and social development.
For his part, Assistant Undersecretary for International Trade Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Economy Jumaa Al Kait, stressed in his speech the importance of strengthening joint Arab action in the economic field and developing
policies that serve the shared economy as well as Arab countries. Al-Kait said that the council meeting will discuss several matters including following up on implementing decisions of previous session, reviewing latest developments in Arab work, Arab Free Trade Area and the Arab Customs Union, activating investments between Arab countries, and joint Arab work.
For her part, Secretary-General of the Jordanian Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply Dana Al-Zoubi said in her speech that this is the second session of the Economic and Social Council to be held in light of the brutal Israeli occupation aggression on Palestine. Al-Zoubi stressed the importance of joint Arab action to face the challenges “that no longer exclude anyone” as the Arab region is affected by regional instability, and the need to follow a “collective approach” in work as the individual approach will not suffice to avoid economic crises.
She called for activating Arab Free Trade Area and Customs Union, expressing hope for increasing the r
ate of inter-Arab trade and enhancing Arab cooperation and investments.
The Kuwaiti delegation to the meeting is chaired by Acting Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance for Economic Affairs Talal Al-Namash.
Source: Kuwait News Agency