ATO Congress to open tomorrow in Bahrain

Manama, May 27(BNA): The Arab Towns Organisation (ATO) will tomorrow convene its congress in Bahrain under the auspices of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa. The pan-Arab conference, hosted in Bahrain for the first time since the ATO establishment in 1967 in Kuwait, will be held under the theme "Exploring the Cities of the Future". Works, Municipalities and Urban Planning Ministry Undersecretary for Municipal Affairs Dr. Nabil Abul Fateh stressed the importance of the conference, which is convened regularly every three year in an Arab City. He underlined the crucial role of the organization which endeavours to preserve the Arab identity, modernize municipal institutions, consolidate the status of local authorities and enhance the standard of services. A session will be held on Sunday in cooperation with Beirut-based The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA). The second session will be held on Monday on best practices, in the presence of researchers from Austria, Norway, Egypt, Turkey and the UAE (Emirate of Dubai).