Algeria chosen to chair Arab Economic, Social Councils Union

Representatives of Arab Economic and Social Councils in Algiers announced Friday its creation, and decided that Algeria will be chairing the union in the coming two years, official APS news agency reported.

Head of the Algerian Economic and Social Council Mohamed Seghir Babes was unanimously elected to be President of both the Union and its General Assembly.

The Union is composed of Algeria, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania, Egypt, Sudan and Yemen in addition to the Arab Labor Organization.

One of the major challenges of this new established union is to unify the Arab joint action for the achievement of "a balanced economic and social development" able to enshrine justice and social cohesion in the Arab nations.

The union also seeks to promote the culture of dialogue to spread participatory democracy, peace and social stability in the Arab world.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of African and European economic and social councils, in addition to representatives of the International Labor Organization and local civil society organizations.