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17:41 GMT
(With photos) CAIRO, Jan 11 (KUNA) -- Kuwait summit will address developmental issues with a direct impact on Arab citizens' everyday life, General Coordinator of the Economic, Developmental and Social Summit Ambassador Mirvet Al-Talawi said on Sunday.
In a speech delivered before a seminar organized by the Middle East News Agency (MENA), Al-Talawi said preparing for the summit had seen "unprecedented" interaction among Arab governmental and private sectors, along with civil society organizations, noting that coordination means of the summit would be utilized as a working mechanism to be implemented in the Arab League in the future.
"We have created partners in development in preparing for the summit; including the private sector, civil society organizations and intellectuals and scientists, not only governments," Al-Talawi said, pointing out that proposals to be discussed during the summit, due January 19-20, reached 442, 70 of which concerning power, 62 related to developing infrastructure and 30 to establish financing institutes to endorse small projects.
Projects of pan-Arab power linkage, railways, food and water security and rehabilitation of Arab labor were the main projects to be considered and discussed during the summit, she pointed out.
Al-Talawi, in the seminar, said that challenges like unemployment, poverty and immigration of both Arab capitals and minds among others, were hindering development in the Arab world and that the league, in cooperation with civil society organizations and the private sector, were working on studies to address these issues.
On his part, Assistant Secretary General for Social Affairs at the league Dr. Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri said that one of the summit's objectives was to shed more light on pan-Arab investments.
He also underlined necessity of holding the summit in light of the global economic crisis in order to touch upon the real impacts of it on Arab countries.
Chairman and Editor-In-Chief of MENA Abdullah Hasan, on his part, underlined significance to seek after pan-Arab economic collaboration so as to cover basic living needs of Arab citizens, noting that some 60 percent of food supplies in the Arab world are imported. (end) hw.hb KUNA 112041 Jan 09NNNN