Riyadh: The Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is currently witnessing unprecedented activity. Four committees, representing 20 Arab countries, were formed this year and are the first of their kind in the organization's history. These committees are tasked with developing the General Conference's operational mechanisms, evaluating future work plans for 2023-2028, creating a program to enhance staff training and development, and monitoring the educational, cultural, and scientific conditions in countries affected by conflicts, crises, and emergencies.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the committees are preparing their reports to submit to the Executive Council during its upcoming meeting in early December. The council aims to identify development opportunities and strategically plan for the future, considering both regional and global challenges.
The first committee, focused on improving the working mechanisms of ALECSO's General Conference, began its work in early 2025, under Saudi Arabia's chairmanship and with the participation of 12 countries. It is preparing professional studies for presentation at the next conference in Oman, scheduled for 2026.
The second committee, the interim evaluation committee for ALECSO's 2023-2028 Action Plan, chaired by the State of Qatar with 12 participating member countries, is working on evaluation and monitoring to ensure the achievement of the organization's strategic goals. Its report will be submitted at the next Executive Council meeting.
The third committee, the committee for monitoring the educational, cultural, and scientific conditions of countries in conflict, chaired by Lebanon with 10 participating countries, is focused on improving coordination with affected nations and will prepare a comprehensive report for the council.
The fourth committee, which is developing a participatory training and development program for ALECSO staff, is chaired by Tunisia and consists of eight countries. It is working on a proposal to enhance skills and expertise, with its findings to be presented at the upcoming meeting.
Saudi Arabia's presidency of ALECSO's General Conference began in May 2024 and will continue through May 2026. This leadership role was initiated with a forward-looking vision aimed at revisiting and revitalizing the General Conference, which has been held 27 times since ALECSO's founding over 55 years ago.