Cairo, February 16 (QNA) - The General Secretariat of the Arab League organized the second edition of the "Conference on Peace and Development in the Arab and African Framework" in Cairo on Monday.

During the opening session, Director of Civil Society Organizations at Social Affairs Sector, Nawal Barada, stated that the conference aims to enhance responsible partnerships between Arab governments and civil society institutions to build capacities and ensure full, equitable, and meaningful participation in achieving and maintaining peace.

She noted that the conference’s discussion panels highlight the importance of enriching ideas on strengthening the role of civil society and volunteer work through a shared Arab-African platform.

President of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, former Foreign Minister, and head of the conference, Mohamed El Orabi, said the event addresses a range of major issues, crises, and challenges facing the Horn of Africa and its strategic surroundings, within a broader geopolitical context extending to the Red Sea, a vital area where security, political, and economic dimensions intersect and regional and international spheres of influence overlap.

El Orabi emphasized that the conference comes amid rising regional tensions, underscoring the importance of developing joint Arab-African approaches that promote stability and support sustainable development in one of the world’s most sensitive regions, critical to regional and international security.

He noted the urgent need to advance concepts of peace and development, given the severe global deficits in both areas. (QNA)