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Constantine – “ALGERIA” – Capital of Arab Culture 2015

CONSTANTINE- Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal has started Thursday a visit to the province of Constantine (431-km east of Algiers), where he will preside over the official launch of Constantine, Capital of Arab Culture 2015″ event, on behalf of President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

During the visit, Sellal will also inaugurate various exhibitions, scheduled as part of the cultural event, as well as several cultural and tourism facilities.

The opening ceremony of “Constantine, Capital of Arab Culture 215” event will be attended by the secretary general of the Arab League, the Director General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), as well as ministers and Arab figures of the world of culture.

The capital of Arab culture is an initiative taken by the Arab League as part of the Cultural Capitals Programme of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote and celebrate Arab culture and encourage cooperation in the Arab region.

White House Summit : Countering Violent Extremism

On February 18, 2015, around 60 Countries and International, Regional and Non Governmental Organizations participated in the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism “CVE”, which was held at the State Department , Washington, D.C. on February 19th, to highlight domestic and international efforts to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from radicalizing, recruiting, or inspiring individuals or groups in the United States and abroad to commit acts of violence, efforts made even more imperative in light of recent, tragic attacks in Ottawa, Sydney, Paris Syria, Iraq and Libya. This summit will build on the strategy the White House released in August of 2011, Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States, the first national strategy to prevent violent extremism domestically.

Arab League Secretary General Dr. Nabil Elaraby headed the delegation of the League of Arab States to the Summit and addressed the meeting with the Arab league vision. He also held meetings with the U.N. Secretary General Ban -Ki Moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as well as other bilateral meetings on the margin of the 2 days summit.

MOU Fact Sheet

Memorandum of Understanding Fact Sheet U.S. State Department & the League of Arab States

Background:
On September 25, 2012, the League of Arab States Secretary General Nabil Elaraby and then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen dialogue and cooperation on matters of mutual interest. The MoU outlined a plan for a regular high-level dialogue between the Secretary of State and the League of Arab States Secretary General. It also established a framework for future cooperation on issue-specific dialogues that address areas such as economic, humanitarian, and educational cooperation.
Objectives:
The MoU aims to enhance collaboration between the two institutions through improved coordination of activities and policies. Through a regular and robust information exchange on best practices and lessons learned, the MoU is intended to develop dialogue in and establish a cooperation framework in the following fields:
1. Enhanced Dialogue 2. Economic Cooperation 3. Social, Cultural, and Educational Cooperation 4. Transnational and Humanitarian Cooperation
Joint Initiatives:
Since the signing of the MoU, the League of Arab States and State Department have launched two joint initiatives.
Open Book Project:
The Open Book Project aims to strengthen awareness of the potential of Open Educational Resources (OERs) support the creation of Arabic language OERs, and promote uptake of online learning materials throughout the Arab world. In its first phase, OER practitioners from the Arab world will meet with their U.S. counterparts in early February 2014 to lay the groundwork for future collaboration. For more information on the Open Book Project and to get involved, please visit: http://www.state.gov/p/nea/openbook/.
Enhanced Humanitarian Coordination:
This project has focused on coordination around humanitarian issues, crisis response and monitoring, and support for UN operations. As part of the program, State Department and USAID officials traveled to Cairo in December 2012 to meet with relevant officials. In February 2013 the League of Arab States’ Crisis Department traveled to Washington and New York and visited U.S. government crisis response operations at the international, national, and local levels. Meetings included the State Department Operations Center, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance Crisis Response Center, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among others. As a next step, a joint mission to Ethiopia will take place in early 2014, bringing humanitarian experts from both institutions to examine the humanitarian crisis affecting Somali refugees and others.
For more information on the MoU, please visit: http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2012/09/198191.htm

MOU between Arab League and The Department of State , September 2012

Memorandum of Understanding Fact Sheet U.S. State Department & the League of Arab States

Background:
On September 25, 2012, the League of Arab States Secretary General Nabil Elaraby and then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen dialogue and cooperation on matters of mutual interest. The MoU outlined a plan for a regular high-level dialogue between the Secretary of State and the League of Arab States Secretary General. It also established a framework for future cooperation on issue-specific dialogues that address areas such as economic, humanitarian, and educational cooperation.
Objectives:
The MoU aims to enhance collaboration between the two institutions through improved coordination of activities and policies. Through a regular and robust information exchange on best practices and lessons learned, the MoU is intended to develop dialogue in and establish a cooperation framework in the following fields:
1. Enhanced Dialogue 2. Economic Cooperation 3. Social, Cultural, and Educational Cooperation 4. Transnational and Humanitarian Cooperation
Joint Initiatives:
Since the signing of the MoU, the League of Arab States and State Department have launched two joint initiatives.
Open Book Project:
The Open Book Project aims to strengthen awareness of the potential of Open Educational Resources (OERs) support the creation of Arabic language OERs, and promote uptake of online learning materials throughout the Arab world. In its first phase, OER practitioners from the Arab world will meet with their U.S. counterparts in early February 2014 to lay the groundwork for future collaboration. For more information on the Open Book Project and to get involved, please visit: http://www.state.gov/p/nea/openbook/.
Enhanced Humanitarian Coordination:
This project has focused on coordination around humanitarian issues, crisis response and monitoring, and support for UN operations. As part of the program, State Department and USAID officials traveled to Cairo in December 2012 to meet with relevant officials. In February 2013 the League of Arab States’ Crisis Department traveled to Washington and New York and visited U.S. government crisis response operations at the international, national, and local levels. Meetings included the State Department Operations Center, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance Crisis Response Center, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among others. As a next step, a joint mission to Ethiopia will take place in early 2014, bringing humanitarian experts from both institutions to examine the humanitarian crisis affecting Somali refugees and others.
For more information on the MoU, please visit: http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2012/09/198191.htm

Arab Countries Figures & Indicators – 2013

Official Arab League Statistics on Member-States (2013)

Download PDF
Document Arab Countries, Figures and Indicators 2013

Republic of Yemen

Country Facts

• Full name: Republic of Yemen
• Population: 24.3 million (UN, 2010)
• Capital: Sanaa
• Area: 536,869 sq km (207,286 sq miles)
• Major language: Arabic
• Major religion: Islam
• Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 67 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 Yemeni riyal = 100 fils
• Main exports: Crude oil, cotton, coffee, fish
• GNI per capita: US $1,060 (World Bank, 2009)
• Internet domain: .ye
• International dialing code: 967

United Arab Emirates

Tunisian Republic

Syrian Arab Republic

Country Facts

• Full name: The Syrian Arab Republic
• Population: 22.5 million (UN, 2010)
• Capital: Damascus
• Area: 185,180 sq km (71,498 sq miles)
• Major language: Arabic
• Major religions: Islam, Christianity
• Life expectancy: 73 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 Syrian pound = 100 piastres
• Main exports: Oil, gas
• GNI per capita: US $2,410 (World Bank, 2009)
• Internet domain: .sy
• International dialing code: +963

Republic of Sudan

ountry Facts

• Full name: Republic of Sudan
• Population: 43.2 million (UN, 2010)
• Capital: Khartoum
• Area: 2.5 million sq km (966,757 sq miles)
• Major languages: Arabic, English (official), others
• Major religions: Islam, Christianity, Animism
• Life expectancy: 58 years (men), 61 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: Sudanese pound
• Main exports: Oil, cotton, sesame, livestock and hides, gum arabic
• GNI per capita: US $1,220 (World Bank, 2009)
• Internet domain: .sd
• International dialing code: +249