Arab League Council

The Council of the League of Arab States is the principal organ of the Arab League, established under the League's founding Pact signed in Cairo on 22 March 1945. Each member state holds one vote in the Council, regardless of size or population, and the body is responsible for realising the purposes of the League and supervising the execution of agreements concluded between members.

Under the Pact, the Council ordinarily convenes twice a year (in March and September), though extraordinary sessions may be called at the request of two or more member states. Since the 2000 Cairo Summit, heads of state and government also meet annually as the Arab League Summit, which functions as the Council convened at the highest level. Foreign ministers typically meet as the Council at the ministerial level.

Decision-making rules are distinctive and frequently tested in Model UN simulations of this body:

• Unanimous decisions bind all member states.
• Majority decisions bind only those states that accepted them.
• Matters concerning the expulsion of a member, amendments to the Pact, or questions deemed vital require specific thresholds outlined in the Pact.

In MUN circuits, the Arab League Council is a popular specialised or regional committee. Delegates represent the 22 member states (Syria's participation has fluctuated; it was suspended in November 2011 and readmitted in May 2023). Debate typically centres on regional crises — the Israeli–Palestinian question, conflicts in Yemen, Libya, Sudan, and Syria, energy coordination, and relations with external powers. Working language is Arabic, though most MUN simulations conduct proceedings in English.

Notable historical Council actions include the 1950 Joint Defence and Economic Cooperation Treaty, the Khartoum Resolution of 1 September 1967 (the "Three No's"), the suspension of Egypt from 1979 to 1989 following the Camp David Accords, and the 2002 endorsement of the Arab Peace Initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia at the Beirut Summit.