What is the Arab League
The Arab League is a regional organization formed by Arab countries with the objective of promoting political, economic, cultural and social cooperation among its members and coordinating common policies on matters of mutual interest.
It was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. The member countries of the Arab League share cultural, linguistic and historical similarities, and the organization serves as a platform to address regional issues and promote solidarity among Arab states.
What countries are part of the Arab League?
The Arab League was founded by Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan (now Jordan), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria with the objective of strengthening and coordinating collaboration between its member states, seeking to be a leading actor in international geopolitics, particularly in the Middle East. .
So much so that he has played a prominent role in issues of special relevance: from his initial opposition to the creation of the State of Israel and his military and political support for the Palestinians, to his condemnation of the intervention of Israel, France and the United Kingdom. in Egypt during the Suez Canal crisis in 1956.
This projection has facilitated its expansion, passing to the current twenty-two countries that make it up: Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Qatar, Comoros, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine , Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Yemen and Djibouti.
Why was the Arab League created?
The Arab League emerged as one of the first regional organizations in the post-World War II context.
In the Arab world, decolonization movements were gaining strength, seeking greater autonomy and resisting foreign influence.
The founding countries perceived in this shared sentiment an opportunity to strengthen themselves in the face of their political and socioeconomic challenges, while promoting Arab solidarity and culture in the face of Western influence in the region.
Therefore, the Arab League was created with several main objectives:
Main objectives
- Political coordination: One of the main reasons for the creation of the Arab League was to foster political coordination between member states on matters of common interest. This includes issues such as diplomacy, regional security and joint response to external threats.
- Promoting Arab unity: In the period after World War I and during decolonization, there was a strong sense of pan-Arab identity among many Arab states. The Arab League was created in part to foster this sense of unity and solidarity among Arab states.
- Defense of Arab interests: The Arab League was conceived as a means to defend the collective interests of Arab states in the international arena. This could include defending Palestinian rights, opposing foreign intervention in Arab affairs, and promoting the Arab cause in international forums.
- Promotion of economic and social development: The Arab League is also committed to promoting economic and social development in the Arab region. This includes cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, education and health.
However, despite its efforts, several challenges have repeatedly confronted it. Due to the civil war in Lebanon (1975-1990) or the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990; also due to the Arab uprisings in 2010, the situation in Libya and Syria, the diplomatic dispute between Qatar and several Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia in 2017, and the war in Gaza.
In this latest conflict, the League has supported South Africa's complaint against Israel for genocide before the International Court of Justice.
Importance of the SDGs for the Arab League
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
What are the SDGs or Sustainable Development Goals?
There are 17 goals designed to address the most pressing global challenges, ranging from eradicating poverty to protecting the environment and promoting prosperity for all.
The SDGs provide a comprehensive framework that integrates economic, social and environmental aspects of development, with the aim of achieving a more equitable, prosperous and sustainable world for present and future generations.
Sustainable development goals in the Arab League region
The realization of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2015 in New York and the adoption by world leaders of the United Nations Plan for Sustainable Development 2030, led to the Secretariat of the League of Arab States belonging to the department of Sustainable Development and International Cooperation organizing the I Arab Week for Sustainable Development during May 2017 and the second from November 19 to 22, 2018, under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt.
Whose objective has been to support the plans of the ONU to reach the objectives of Sustainable Development in the League region through the development of an inclusive Arab framework that encourages the implementation of development projects of a sustainable nature in the Arab region.
Some objectives that are aimed at achieving them are the obtaining alternative energy, water and food. Although I must also say that The background of this is not trivial, as always, the economic is behind it.
Much of this change and supposed development aid was due to the fall of oil and the need to obtain our own energy source. However, the work done cannot be underestimated.
International Agreements
Furthermore, the Arab League has different international agreements, such as with UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) for the cooperation in favor of refugees; and, it has different alliances, such as the one carried out between the Arab Emirates and Spain, both in economic and military sphere to fight against terrorism.
With these agreements, we seek the aid and cooperation in favor of the SDGs, moving towards a sustainable Arab League based on respect for human rights.
The journey towards meeting the SDGs has already begun, and although there is a long way to go, we have taken a big step.
The countries that make up this International Organization suffer major conflicts, and having these objectives on their political agenda already means a lot.
LL.M in International Business Law and Law from ISDE and graduated in Law and International Relations from Loyola University. CEO and business internationalization consultant at Reáculoateypunto.
