Arab ministers prepare for Arab social summit to be held in Qatar

Arab ministers of social affairs started a meeting here on Tuesday to discuss a host of issues namely preparations for the Arab summit due in Qatar in the end of March next year, it was officially declared. The ministers, holding the meeting within framework of their 32nd session, are also discussing preparations for the Third Arab Summit for Economic, Development and Social Affairs, to be held in Riyadh in January in 2013. They will also examine resolutions of the previous summit of this level, held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in 2011, prospects of offering aid for Arab countries hosting Syrian refugees, a plan to establish a website for promoting family products and support for the Yemeni people. They are also scheduled to discuss preparations for the Civil Society Forum (2013), establishing an Arab body for tackling poverty and illiteracy among Arab women. Moreover, they will prepare for the third meeting of the Arab ministers of social affairs, due in Beirut in 2013. Also on the agenda are a request by Palestine for support for some projects, another by Egypt to aid a center for treating autism, holding a conference to address issues of the Arab family and a plan to tackle family violence. Kuwait is represented at the meeting by the assistant undersecretary for social care, Hamad Al-Mu'dadi