Arab Towns Organization

The Arab Towns Organization (ATO) is a network which exists to develop cooperation between Arab cities in order to promote their development, while preserving their Arab identity. It was set up on 15 March 1967 [http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/english/relations/r23.asp] .

Membership is open to municipalities, from Arab nations, other institutions with related activities and interested individuals. Member cities, according to the website (in 2008), come from the following countries : Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros , Djibouti, Egypt , Iraq, Jordan , Kuwait , Lebanon , Libya , Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.There are several related institutions, including an Development Fund for Arab Cities, which began life in 1979, and the Arab Urban Development Institute [ http://www.araburban.org/AUDI/English/Right_en/00default.htm] which started up in 1980, describing itself as ‘the scientific and technical wing of the ATO’.

In 2008 ATO was one of the main partners in the Dubai Euro-Arab Forum, organised on 10 and February.

It is based in Kuwait City.P.O.Box :68160 Kaifan 71962 KuwaitTel : 4849705 / 4849706 / 4849708 / 4849625

The current ATO Secretary General (2008) is Abdulaziz al-Adasani.

External links

[http://www.ato.net/web/Eindex.asp Arab Towns Organization website]

[http://kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?Language=en&id=1657222 ATO approves soft loans for Arab cities 5/7/2006]

[http://www.qnaol.net/QNAEn/Foreign_News/Misc/Pages/ArabTownsOrganizationtakespartinWorldUrbanForum.aspx ATO to participate in November 2008 World Urban Forum in Nanjing]

References