An Arab foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo on Wednesday marked the first time that the Arab league’s main conference hall was used following a $50 million renovation sponsored by the United Arab Emirates.
Arab League officials said the renovation team, led by Lebanese designer Nada Debs, was seconded from the UAE’s Ministry of Presidential affairs. The UAE team was supported by engineers from the Arab League organisation.
The long overdue renovation of the storied conference hall at the Arab League’s downtown Cairo headquarters took nine months to complete. It includes the replacement of seats and flooring, as well as the upgrading of the audio and lighting systems and the television screens. The press gallery was almost completely replaced.
“It’s an outstanding project in all its details,” UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted on Wednesday.
Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit expressed his gratitude to the UAE for the renovation in his opening remarks at Wednesday’s ministerial meeting, saying it was a “generous contribution” and that the project was carried out in a “wonderful style”.
The building housing the Arab League headquarters has been in use since 1954. The 22-member bloc was founded in 1945 by seven nations.