Arab League suffers from 'serious budget shortage': Secretary-General

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said on Monday that the pan-Arab organisation is suffering from a “financial crisis.”

“The Arab League’s annual budget has been suffering a serious shortage over the past two years,” Aboul-Gheit said during his speech at a ministerial meeting in preparation for the Arab summit on Wednesday, 29 March in Jordan.

Without giving many details, the secretary-general said the "financial crisis" needs to be resolved for the league to continue its role of addressing challenges in the Arab world.

Sources at the League told Ahram Gate that the league’s budget is over $6 million, and that a number of countries delay their payments resulting in financial issues. This has led a number of employees to resign looking for better job opportunities, the sources noted, highlighting that the budget is spent mainly on salaries and diplomatic missions.  

The ministerial summit will be held on the 28th while the heads of states will meet on Wednesday 29 March

Source: Ahram online