The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States—through its Social Affairs Sector, Population Policies Department, and the Technical Secretariat of the Arab Council for Population and Development—convened the seventh ordinary session of the Arab Ministerial Council for Population and Development on 4 December. The session, hosted by the Republic of Iraq, was chaired by His Excellency Professor Dr. Mohamed Ali Tamim, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning of the Republic of Iraq.
The meeting was attended by ministers, deputy ministers, secretaries of national population councils, senior officials from Arab countries, and representatives of regional and international organisations operating in the Republic of Iraq.
The opening session included an address delivered by the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Republic of Iraq, who chaired the sixth session. In his remarks, he reviewed the Council’s achievements in implementing the resolutions of the previous session and concluded by inviting His Excellency Professor Dr. Mohamed Ali Tamim, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning of the Republic of Iraq, to assume the chairmanship of the current session.
His Excellency Professor Dr. Mohamed Ali Tamim, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, welcomed the attendees and stated in his address that “the aspiration for a brighter future for our people and countries—after a series of crises that have afflicted the region, including natural disasters, wars, destruction, violations of the freedoms and sovereignty of peoples and nations, and the collapse of economic, social, and environmental systems—can only be achieved through unified visions and coordinated efforts. These efforts must focus on empowering the population economically, socially, and culturally; improving the conditions of vulnerable groups; developing integrated health and education systems responsive to demographic and social transformations; enhancing the quality of education and aligning it with future skills; organising secure and protected Arab labour markets; providing fair opportunities for all; building institutional capacities; improving data exchange systems; and strengthening cooperation and the exchange of expertise among Arab countries.”
The Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ambassador Dr. Hussein Al-Hindawi, further affirmed that the Arab region now ranks third globally in population size, after India and China, with a population exceeding half a billion. He highlighted the diverse demographic trends across the region, which require the development of comprehensive national policies. He noted that sustainable development transforms every individual, everywhere, into a national asset, ensuring that demographic opportunities do not become an additional burden. Investing in people, he added, transforms demographic opportunities from an academic concept into a series of tangible success stories.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of several important resolutions that represent current population priorities for Arab countries. These included approval of the regulations for the Arab Population Excellence Award; selection of the theme for the 2026 Arab Population and Development Day—“The Role of Youth and Promoting a Culture of Peace in Supporting Development”; population policies that support the sustainable economy; an examination of the impact of wars and armed conflicts on families and populations in the Arab region; and coordination of Arab positions for participation in the 59th session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, whose theme is “Population, Technology, and Research within the Framework of Sustainable Development,” among other resolutions.
