The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) held, on January 19, 2021, the first (virtual) meeting of the Special Committee, established by the Executive Board of ALECSO, in charge of reviewing the draft action plan for the period 2023-2028. The draft plan will then be submitted to the next (115th) session of the Executive Board, scheduled to take place in the first half of 2021. Ten member States took part in the meeting, namely : Bahrain, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, the Comoros, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, and Mauritania.
In his opening statement, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the directors of ALECSO’s technical departments and subsidiary institutions for having prepared the draft action plan in record time, while taking into account the insights and visions received from member States.
Dr. Ould Amar also commended the valuable efforts of the Drafting Committee of the action plan, the latter being designed to strengthen joint Arab action and meet the aspirations of the Arab Nation, by ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education, and promoting an authentic Arab culture that upholds the values of tolerance, enlightened thinking, and dialogue with other cultures, and rejects violence and extremism.
On his part, H.E. Dr. Hassanein Fadhel Maaleh, Chairman of the Executive Board and member of the Board for the Republic of Iraq, expressed his appreciation of the efforts invested by ALECSO to prepare the draft action plan in a way that would meet the aspirations of Arab peoples.
The members of the Committee commended the quality of the work prepared by the Organization and proceeded with the discussion of the main focus areas of the draft plan, including :
- General framework, goals, premises, references, difficulties and challenges.
- Fields of action :
- Education,
- Culture and heritage,
- Science and scientific research,
- Information and communication technology,
- Arabic language,
- Upgrading the Organization’s performance and boosting partnership with Arab National Commissions.
At the close of the meeting, it was agreed to set a schedule for the finalization of the draft action plan, prior to submitting it to the forthcoming meeting of the Executive Board.
