The First Meeting of the Arab Economic Charter Taskforces

01 Sep 2013  
Abu-Ghazaleh: Achieving Economic Integration based on Specific Standards and Principles
 
AMMAN ---- September 1, 29, 2013 ----  The first meeting of the Arab Economic Charter taskforces was held at Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum with the presence of heads of taskforces in addition to HE Dr. Alsadeq Al-Faqeeh, the Secretary General of the Arab Thought Forum. The meeting shed light on the discussion initiated by His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, President of the Arab Thought Forum, on the 22th of August at Talal Abu-Ghazaleh University (TAGIUNI) tackling the content of the Arab Economic Charter which HRH directed to the Arab Thought Forum in cooperation with the Economic Policy Development Forum to achieve an Arab Economic Charter that enhances efforts exerted towards realizing the Arab Economic Integration.
 
HE Dr. Talal Abu- Ghazaleh, president of the Arab Economic Charter clarified that this meeting came subsequent to the one held under the patronage and presence of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal where he shared a number of directions and suggestions.
 
DR. Abu-Ghazaleh said that our main goal is to achieve Arab Economic Integration as much as possible through developing an Arab Economic Charter which sets explicit standards that could determine the obstacles hindering the integration and how to address them. He also focused on the importance of keeping away of any obstacles and particularity relating to any country assuring that the Charter is a group of standards, principles and obligations.
     
The meeting included several discussions, interventions and inquiries and finally reached the following suggestions:
 
1- To approve HE Dr. Jawad Al-Anani’s suggestion of preparing an introduction for the Charter in addition to assigning a committee for such a purpose including HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, HE Dr. Jawad Al-Anani, HE Dr. Yousif Mansour and HE Mr. Sulaiman Al- Hafez (based on a draft prepared by Dr. Al-Anani).
 
2- To prepare a description for each taskforce’s mission, while its draft shall be submitted by HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh to the Quartet Committee to be endorsed.
 
3- HE Mr. Sulaiman Al-Hafez in his capacity as the General Coordinator to assume the responsibility of coordination, networking and cooperation recommended by HRH Prince El Hassan.
 
4- The attendees collectively approved the formula proposed by Dr. Abdel Salam Al-Abbadi that defines the tasks and objectives of the Charter summarized as “Achieving a group of principles, rules and standards relating to the question of Arab Economic Integration based on the obstacles and challenges hindering it, and the means of challenging it in all kinds of sectors in order to enrich the scale of the positive areas rather than the negative ones hindering the achievement of a better Arab Economic Cooperation”.
 
 
5- Each leader of a taskforce shall select members of his/her team who will be experience in all kinds of sectors. Then, the members shall elect a vice president and a rapporteur. It was concluded that all teams shall finish their duties no later than the end of December.
It was agreed to tackle the following topics: the role of Arab women, financial and banking sector, customs barriers interfaces and their cost, power, Arab integrity system, the role of the Arab and digital media, scientific research, trade in industrial goods, Arab corporations, movement of business people, trade in agricultural and food products, building a network of Arab Zakat, e-commerce, trade in intra-health products, communications, Arab youth, land, sea and air transport, investment in innovation, partnerships and not aid (Investment interconnection), higher education and e-learning.
 
The Charter’s draft shall be submitted to HRH Prince El Hassan for review and approval, which shall be followed by the preparation of an Arab conference assembling experts from different sectors in the Arab world to be endorsed as an Arab national project before launching the Charter and to put it at the command of the League of Arab States and decision makers.