The Charter of the Arab League (also known as the Pact of the League of Arab States) is the founding treaty of the Arab League. Concluded in 1945, the agreement aims to strengthen relations and improve cooperation in various areas between signatory Arab countries, while also respecting and preserving their sovereignty. The internal regulations of the

Council of the Arab League The Council of the Arab League ( ar, مجلس جامعة الدول العربية / ISO 233: ) (also the Arab League Council) is the principal institution of the Arab LeagueOron 1960: 123 and was created by article 3 of the Charter of the Arab Le ...

and the committees were agreed to in October 1951. Those of the

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

were agreed to in May 1953. Since then, governance of the Arab League has been based on the duality of supra-national institutions and the sovereignty of its member states. Preservation of individual statehood derived its strengths from the natural preference of ruling elites to maintain their power and independence in decision making. Moreover, the fear of the richer that the poorer may share their wealth in the name of Arab nationalism, the feuds among Arab rulers, and the influence of external powers that might oppose Arab unity can be seen as obstacles towards a deeper integration of the league.

Initial signatories

Arab League of states establishment - Egypt 22-3-1945

The Charter was concluded on 22 March 1945 by the governments of Syria, Transjordan,

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

, and

North Yemen North Yemen may refer to: * Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (1918–1962) * Yemen Arab Republic The Yemen Arab Republic (YAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية اليمنية '), also known simply as North Yemen or Yemen (Sanaʽa), was a ...

. A state joins the Arab League by ratifying the Pact. According to the Charter, "the League of Arab States shall be composed of the: independent Arab States that have signed this Pact."

Forms of government

The member states of the Arab League represent all

forms of government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

, including

monarchies A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy), ...

, both absolute and

constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these prin ...

, as well as republics.

Autonomous entities

Officially,

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan ( ku, باشووری کوردستان, Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of "Kurdistan" in Western Asia, which also inc ...

is the only autonomous entity in the Arab League, but several countries view Palestine as an autonomous entity within

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. The Palestinian Authority exercises certain sovereign powers within its borders, but is not a fully independent government.Status of Palestine in the UN – Non-member observer State status – SecGen report, available at: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-182149/ The Palestinian Authority administrated territories are internationally recognized as occupied by Israel. The Arab League on the other hand recognizes the State of Palestine as a fully independent state, with Jerusalem as its capital and with embassies in all of the other League member states, with the exception of Somalia.

References

External links

League of Arab States
{{Authority control * Arab League Treaties of the Syrian Republic (1930–1963) Treaties of the Emirate of Transjordan Treaties of the Kingdom of Iraq Treaties of Saudi Arabia Treaties of the Kingdom of Egypt Treaties of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen Treaties of Lebanon Treaties of Algeria Treaties of Morocco Treaties of the Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969) Treaties of Tunisia Treaties of the Somali Republic Treaties of the United Arab Emirates Treaties of the Kingdom of Libya Treaties of Kuwait Treaties of Mauritania Treaties of Oman Treaties of Qatar Treaties of Bahrain Treaties of Djibouti Treaties of the Comoros Treaties of the State of Palestine Treaties establishing intergovernmental organizations 1945 in Egypt