KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah stressed that challenges and opportunities in global economic and social developments require more determination to strengthen joint Arab action due to its great importance as one of the pillars supporting Arab developmental issues. In his opening speech as head of the conference, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad welcomed the participating delegations from the Arab member states, stressing that the institute is considered “the most important institution of joint development work,” pointing to the institute’s keenness to provide its services and development efforts in line with regional and international economic developments.

In his opening speech, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad welcomed the participating delegations from the Arab member states, stressing that the institute is considered “the most important institution of joint development work,” pointing to the institute’s keenness to provide its services and development efforts in line with regional and international economic developments.

“Today we are entering a new phase full of challenges and opportunities in global economic and social developments,” he said. “It requires more determination to strengthen joint Arab action because of its great importance as one of the pillars of the development of various institutions supporting Arab issues.”

He explained that the Arab Planning Institute was able to keep pace with development changes and challenges in the countries of the region at a time when the general performance indicators during 2022-2023 showed the achievement of the institute’s desired goals, indicating: “The institute’s plan included 215 training activities, including 153 in-person programs at its headquarters in Kuwait and 62 virtual programs, as well as its efforts in implementing a number of qualitative consulting studies.”

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad stressed the support of Kuwait (the headquarters country) for all the activities of the Institute and its keenness on the success of its development programs, believing in supporting joint Arab action. He recalled the Zionist aggression on Gaza, praying that the anguish of people in Palestine would ease. “We demand an immediate ceasefire. We are only part of this nation, and we support any Arab move that leads to the Palestinian people taking their full legitimate rights and leads to peace in its most comprehensive form.”

For his part, the Director of the Arab Planning Institute, Abdullah Al-Shami, stressed the institute’s keenness to ensure that its continuous efforts are linked to the development planning process and the multiple dimensions of economic, social, and environmental development in a way that serves Arab development and helps face various development challenges.

Al-Shami stressed the institute’s keenness in its plan for this year to enhance support for development planning institutions and bodies in the Arab countries, build Arab capacities, publish studies, provide advisory services, and apply research in support of Arab plans, in addition to focusing on developing analytical and practical skills in the fields of planning and economic management.

“The Arab Planning Institute takes into account the economic and social consequences of successive global shocks in line with the requirements and development needs in the Arab countries and promotes joint Arab action,” he added. He indicated that the meeting discusses what has been achieved in the various activities of the institute during the year 2022-2023, which is the third year of the institute’s ninth strategy for the years 2020-2025, explaining that these activities were implemented as contained in the annual work plan adopted by the Council at its meeting held in Egypt in June 2022.

He stated that the Board of Trustees reviewed and approved the final account of the Arab Planning Institute as it is in the fiscal year ending on December 31, 2023. “The meeting discussed the achievements of various activities of the institute during the year 2022-2023, which is the third year of the institute’s ninth strategy for the years 2020-2025,” explaining that these activities were implemented as contained in the annual work plan adopted by the Council at its meeting held in Egypt in June 2022.

For his part, the head of the Institute of National Planning in Egypt, Dr Ashraf El-Araby, said that the meeting of the Board of Trustees held today focused on several items, the most important of which is the follow-up of what has been achieved during the past year, which witnessed a large number of activities.

Araby added that the institute launched its development report two months ago in Dubai, and its main topic was climate change and its impact on the Arab region, stressing that the dimension related to climate change is a key axis within the work plan of the Arab Planning Institute in addition to the economic and social dimensions.

He pointed out that the training programs, studies, and economic consultations launched by the institute during the past year helped significantly in formulating the Arab vision towards climate change, pointing out that “the development report was published within the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Convention in Abu Dhabi (COP28) to emphasize the Arab vision in the field of combating the effects of global warming.”— KUNA