Saudi Arabia chaired the 118th ministerial session of the Arab League's Economic and Social Council yesterday at the League's General Secretariat in Cairo, with Assistant Minister of Finance for Macro-Fiscal Policies and International Relations Eng. Abdullah bin Zaraah presiding and member states represented.

The session examined economic and social issues of shared Arab interest, aiming to strengthen cooperation, support development, boost intra-Arab trade and widen opportunities for regional integration and growth.

In the Kingdom's statement, bin Zaraah described joint Arab economic and social action as a key pillar of collective capacity to meet challenges and seize opportunities. He called for moving from coordination and exchanging views to implementation and tangible results, by developing implementation and follow-up mechanisms, linking decisions and initiatives to clear goals and measurable indicators, improving coordination among joint Arab institutions and specialized Arab organizations, and channeling resources to the highest-impact priorities.

He also pointed to national achievements, noting that the World Bank Group's World Development Report 2026 placed the Kingdom among the world's top 10 countries in private investment in artificial intelligence and recognized its advanced standing in the global AI landscape.