The 11th annual meeting of the Board of Trustees of Yasser Arafat Foundation was held at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo on Tuesday, the 27th of February 2018. Many of its esteemed Arab and Palestinian members attended.
Head of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, former Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa opened the meeting with a welcoming speech. In his remarks, he stressed that “despair should not get into our hearts in regard to the Palestinian cause, for as long as there is steadfastness, people must defend their rights.” Moussa focused on the importance of forging a framework of collective civil action; that the rapid changes in the world should not impede the course of Arab work.
Palestinian Ambassador to Cairo Diab Allouh spoke of the Yasser Arafat Foundation as a great national institution, named for its founder and committed to the democratic and national values of the late President Abu Ammar.
During the opening session, the late religious scholar and member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Hani Fahs, was honored. Former Foreign Minister of Spain Miguel Ángel Moratinos and Special Presidential Representative of Russia for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov were welcomed as honorary members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
In his speech, Bogdanov observed that “the late leader Yasser Arafat dedicated all his life to the struggle [for] the rights of his people. He is a symbol of struggle and unity, which remains alive in the hearts of all Palestinians.”
Moratinos also expressed his commitment to achieving peace in the region; when he resigned as EU Envoy to the peace process, he pledged to remain dedicated to peace and the rights of the Palestinian people. Moratinos concluded his remarks saying, “Arafat is part of history. This does not mean that he belongs to the past, but also to the present and future of the Palestinian people.”
At the end of the opening session, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors Dr. Nasser Alkidwa presented the 2017 annual report on the Foundation’s work at its headquarters, Museum, and two branches. The short film, Ten Years in His Footsteps, on the Foundation’s work and achievements over the past decade, was presented.
Yasser Arafat Foundation’s annual Board of Trustees meeting is held at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo. The Board is comprised of more than 100 prominent Arab and Palestinian figures, chaired by Amr Moussa, of whom 15 also serve on the Foundation’s Board of Directors, headed by Dr. Nasser Alkidwa.
