HRH addressing the 3rd Arab African summit in Kuwait, presided over by the Amir of Kuwait, His Highness Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah underlined the opportunity presented by “serious, committed co-operation” among the nations of the Arab and African blocs.
His Royal Highness said the essence of successful partnerships was sound investment in the potential found in relations between countries and blocs by facilitating the exchange of ideas.
He said this allowed for economic and developmental investment on the basis of sustainability, within clear frameworks of understanding and through the integration of political and economic elements.
Looking at broad areas of collaboration, His Royal Highness highlighted important issues that represent opportunities for cooperation covering food security, energy, water resources and health. In addition, he focused particularly on facilitating even greater economic cooperation through both private and public sectors, and maximising investment opportunities by reducing trade barriers.
His Royal Highness said such co-operation would greatly benefit development and related infrastructure improvements. He added that importance must also be given to cultural and educational exchange between Middle East and African nations.
His Royal Highness said that realising state and regional potential required the reinforcement of sound guidelines for governance and the securing of effective systems to manage and extract natural resources. He stressed the importance of meeting the aspirations of people and involving them in the development processes, with particular reference to youth and in maximising the role of women.
His Royal Highness then stressed the equal importance in sustaining security and stability. He said it must occur fully in parallel to development in order to create the right environment for continued growth and progress. Incorporating this, he emphasised the importance of upholding human rights in line with the rule of law and international standards.
Commenting at the conference, His Royal Highness called for enhanced and committed collaboration between Arab and African Countries. In doing so, he expressed support for the establishment of clear frameworks that could support political and economic co-operation, with a clear focus on increased trade and investment.
His Royal Highness expressed his delight in the opportunity to participate in the summit, which now takes place every three years. He noted how its theme of partnership in development and investment underlined a new era of hope and opportunity that serious, committed cooperation can bring as each individual nation manage the challenges of change. His Royal Highness expressed confidence that the summit would provide the further impetus for cooperation which will serve the interests of all nations represented.
His Royal Highness extended his thanks to the Arab League Secretary General, Dr Nabil Al Arabi and Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma for their efforts in preparing for this summit. He noted how the spirit of co-operation has developed from the foundation laid down by the first summit in Cairo in 1977, which formulated the framework for institutionalised collaboration to develop Arab African relations. His Royal Highness remarked how the second summit in Sirte, Libya then laid out the required mechanism for further progress of these relations across all relevant disciplines.
His Royal Highness went on to note that the Kuwait summit was now activating critical plans, programmes and decisions endorsed by the second summit, including the decision for the strategic Arab African partnership and the decision to establish a joint Arab African disaster fund.
His Royal Highness stressed the full support of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the objectives of the summit mainly those for enhancing the executive mechanisms for Arab African cooperation and he expressed his personal readiness to contribute and participate in this area.
In this regard, His Royal Highness pointed to the agreement of Arab leaders convening in Doha in March 2013 to the initiative of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to establish the Arab Human Rights Court, which will be based in the Kingdom of Bahrain as per the decision of the Arab League.
At the beginning of the Summit’s opening session this morning, His Highness the Amir of Kuwait welcomed the delegations, stressing that the summit was being held at a critical time, politically and economically, and which required intensified efforts to protect against the consequences.
The Amir of Kuwait added that choosing the theme ‘partners in development and investment’ was meant to highlight the importance of economic cooperation as a foundation for joint interests leading to strategic partnerships. The focus on economic aspects in the agenda also indicated an understanding of key challenges of this era and the mechanisms required to meet them.