His Majesty King Abdullah II opened on Sunday the Good Governance for Development in the Arab World conference at the Dead Sea.

The “Good Governance for Development in the Arab Countries” initiative features the inclusion of three main actors of the Arab region: Governments, the private sector and civil society organizations.

It tackles three inter-related reform areas — administrative, financial and judicial — by focusing on the following themes: Civil service and integrity; the role of judiciary and enforcement of judicial decisions; e-government, administrative and regulatory reform; the role of civil society and media in public sector reform; governance of public finances; and public service delivery, said the head of the initiative's steering committee, Minister of Justice Slah Bashir.

The initiative was endorsed by 16 Arab countries in Amman last September. It identified six working themes, in conformity with the recommendations and resolutions of the 16th Arab summit in Tunis in 2004.