Aboul Gheit: We support the rights of Arabs to water … and 40% of the region’s population is below the poverty line

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, stressed that the issue of water scarcity remains of particular importance, as the Arab region suffers from water scarcity more than any other region in the world, and at the same time suffers from the greatest food deficit, stressing that this The situation affects the economic and social future of the region, perhaps more than any other threat.

He added, in his speech at the opening session of the 108th ordinary session of the Economic and Social Council, which was held yesterday, at the ministerial level, chaired by the Minister of Economy and Trade of the Government of national union of the State of Libya, Muhammad Ali Al-Hawij, that the relationship between the Arab countries and their neighbors who share rivers with them, Whether in the Tigris or the Euphrates in the Levant, or the Nile in Africa, you need a fair wording that guarantees the Arab legitimacy of water rights through binding legal agreements, stressing that this issue is an Arab issue, and does not only concern countries that have problems with their neighbors..

Aboul Gheit called for the need to work vigorously to accelerate the path of Arab economic integration, stressing that regional integration, strengthening intraregional trade and deepening frameworks for economic cooperation and coordination in the Arab region constitute an important and necessary safety net in a global situation where current and future risks are increasing, especially since the Corona pandemic is still in its shadow. The heavy burden on the global economy, the international trade movement and the Arab region, stressing that the world and the Arab region are now going through a difficult stage of recovery, given a high level of uncertainty over the health situation worldwide due to the spread of mutated strains of Corona..

He stressed that the Arab region is one of the regions most affected by global warming and climate change, which makes this issue a current concern and not a future luxury..

Regarding the evolution of Arab economies, he said that 40% of the population of the Arab region live below the poverty line, 15% of the poor suffer from extreme poverty and the unemployment rate has exceeded 16%, which is well above the global average, and the impact of unemployment is exacerbated by the fact that most of those suffering are young people.

The Secretary General of the League of Arab States added that Arab economies suffer from a clear imbalance in absorbing new entrants into the labor market and securing high levels of employment, and that the needs of the market are still distinct from educational competences, highlighting the unprecedented economic and humanitarian difficulties suffered by many Arab countries, foremost among them Lebanon, which has suffered from one of the three worst economic crises since 1850, as well as Yemen, which suffers the world’s most serious humanitarian crisis.

He pointed out that the world is watching with great sadness the repercussions of the economic crisis and its bitter humanitarian consequences on the Lebanese people, as well as the current crisis in Yemen due to the continued attacks of the Houthis, with 80% of its people. needs help, in addition to the difficult financial situation of the Palestinian Authority, as well as the humanitarian crisis..