The first session of the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers was held in Amman, Jordan, in 1976, that is six years after the establishment of ALECSO. Since then, successive sessions of the Conference were held on a biennial basis. The 21st session took place in Cairo, Egypt, on October 14-15, 2018.
Each session of the Conference focuses on a major culture-related topic of concern to the Arab States, and which falls in line with :
- The 1945 Cultural Treaty of the Arab League
- The 1964 Arab Cultural Unity Charter
- The Constitution of ALECSO
- The intellectual framework and fundamental principles of the 1985 Comprehensive Plan for Arab Culture
- Other relevant Arab cultural agreements and plans
- ALECSO Strategic Plan (2017-2022)
- The Arab Decade for the Cultural Right (2018-2027).
The Standing Committee for Arab Culture is in charge of proposing the main topic and sub-topics for each session of the Conference, which are included in the agenda for discussion and approval, and for taking the necessary measures to be implemented by ALECSO and Member States.
Through its successive sessions held in a number of Arab States, the Conference has achieved significant gains and accomplishments in various fields of joint Arab cultural action. It has opened wide prospects for developing qualitative plans and launching pan-Arab cultural projects designed to enhance the status of Arab culture in the world.
The 22nd session of the Conference, to be hosted by the United Arab Emirates in 2020, will be devoted to the review and development of the Comprehensive Plan for Arab Culture.
