Economic and Social Council (Arab League)

مجلس جامعة الدول العربية الاقتصادي والاجتماعي Economic and Social Council of the Arab League
Flag
Map of northern Africa and the Middle East indicating the members of the Arab League.
Headquarters	Cairo, Egypt
Official languages	Arabic
Type	Arab League institution
Membership	22 states  Algeria  Bahrain  Comoros  Djibouti  Egypt  Iraq  Jordan  Kuwait  Lebanon  Libya  Mauritania  Morocco  Oman  Palestine  Qatar  Saudi Arabia  Somalia  Sudan  Syria  Tunisia  UAE  Yemen
Establishment
• Treaty	1950
• First meeting	1953

The Economic and Social Council of the Arab League (ESC; Arabic: مجلس جامعة الدول العربية الاقتصادي والاجتماعي‎‎, DIN: Majlis jāmiʿat ad-dawal al-ʿarabiya al-iqtiṣādy wal-ijtimāʿy, originally the Economic Council) is an institution of the Arab League that co-ordinates its economic integration. The ESC was established as the Economic Council under the terms of the Joint Defence and Economic Co-operation Treaty (1950). and held its first meeting in 1953. In 1957, the ESC established the Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU) and, in February 1997, the ESC adopted the Agreement to Facilitate and Develop Trade Among Arab Countries (1981) in pursuit of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA).

The establishment of the Economic Council of the Arab League under the terms of the Joint Defence and Economic Co-operation Treaty (1950) was the fulfilment of the promise made in articles II and IV of the Arab League's Charter (1945), which required the establishment of a council to co-ordinate close co-operation of member-states in economic affairs.

The Economic Council was renamed the Economic and Social Council in 1980.

The ESC continues to administer the Greater Arab Free Trade Area and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, as well as supervising the Council of Arab Economic Unity and other subsidiary institutions.