Abu Dhabi: HE Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, led the UAE delegation at the 113th Arab Economic and Social Council meeting held at the General Secretariat of the Arab League in Cairo, chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and attended by delegations from member states.
The meeting discussed the strengthening of Arab cooperation on various economic and social issues and ways to operationalize the executive decisions approved by the Council during its previous meetings.
The Minister of Economy emphasized that the UAE, under the guidance of its wise leadership, is keen to support joint Arab efforts, develop mechanisms and action plans that will open up new prospects to support sustainable economic development, as well as strengthen cooperation with other Council member states in the sectors of the new economy, tourism, digital transformation, entrepreneurship, and SMEs.
HE Bin Touq pointed out that Arab economies have proven their ability to confront political, climatic, and health changes over the past few years, and the importance of their geographical location is that it facilitates the global trade movement. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Arab countries’ GDP growth rate reached 1.8 percent in 2023, or nearly $3.4 trillion, and it is expected to reach $3.5 trillion in 2024 despite the economic challenges witnessed by the region during the last stage.
The UAE Minister of Economy lauded the key role played by the Arab Economic and Social Council in supporting community development by sponsoring a number of initiatives and events in several fields such as health, family and development, and holding a series of training courses and awareness-raising programs on challenges faced by Arab economies.
These include the role of Arab women, family and child health, and training and rehabilitation for people with special needs.
