A delegation from the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, led by His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Maliki, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Economic Affairs Sector, participated in the Third Arab Summit for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the Entrepreneurship Pioneers Conference 2024. The event, organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), took place in Doha from 18–20 November and witnessed the presence of numerous officials from Arab countries, decision-makers, experts, entrepreneurs, and representatives of specialised international organisations.
On the sidelines of the summit, the fourth meeting of the Board of Directors of the Aid for Trade Programme (AFTIAS 2.0) was convened. During the meeting, Ambassador Al-Maliki emphasised the critical role of collaboration between the League of Arab States, its Economic Affairs Sector, and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC). He highlighted the significance of activities implemented under the framework of the project aimed at advancing the Arab economic integration system, with a focus on increasing the volume of inter-Arab trade, a priority addressed during the first phase of the project in 2024.
The meeting also reviewed several key topics related to the current phase of the Aid for Trade initiative for Arab countries, as well as deliberations on future phases of the programme. The discussions centred on the initiative's potential outcomes in fostering and strengthening inter-Arab trade.
