The Arab League: a pact signed in Cairo in 1945

The League of Arab States was formed in Cairo, and its founding Pact is dated 22 March 1945. Egypt was among the founding signatories, and the Pact names Cairo as the League’s permanent seat (Article 10). The League has 22 member states.

Its purpose

Article 2 of the Pact says the League’s purpose is to draw closer the relations between member states and to coordinate their political activities. It also provides for close cooperation among members in economic and financial matters, communications, cultural matters, nationality, passports and visas, the execution of judgments and extradition, social welfare and health.

How the Council works

The League’s Council is composed of representatives of the member states, and each state has one vote regardless of how many representatives it sends (Article 3). The Council meets in ordinary session twice a year, in March and October (Article 11).

Decisions the Council takes by a unanimous vote bind all member states, while those reached by a majority vote bind only the states that accept them (Article 7). The Secretary-General is appointed by the Council on the vote of two-thirds of the member states (Article 12), and a special committee is formed for each of the areas of cooperation listed in the Pact (Article 4).

Article 1 describes the League as composed of the independent Arab states that have signed the Pact. The text carries two dates: 22 March 1945 in the Gregorian calendar and 8 Rabi’ al-Thani 1364 in the Islamic calendar.