Congressional committee (Arab Congress)

In the Union of Arab Republics (UAR), informally the Arab Union, a congressional committee (Arabic: مجلس المؤتمر majlis al-mu’tamr; plur. مجالس المؤتمر majālis al-mu’tamr) is a type of deliberative committee formed by one or both chambers of the Arab Congress (the bicameral legislative branch of the Arab Union federal government), or by a republican congress (the unicameral legislative assembly of one of the republics or territories of the Arab Union.

Congressional committees are typically responsible for developing realistic and detailed policy proposals regarding a specific area of economy, society, foreign policy, etc., by becoming familiar with their topic/area to a much greater degree than the average congressmember. The chamber(s) appoint between 4 and 10 of their members to a congressional committee; once the committee elects its chairperson, several other experts will join the committee, many of whom have testified to Congress on behalf of the committee regarding their area of expertise. Congressional committees have a significant amount of control over policy in their areas of responsibility, which can include a degree of executive authority.

Many such congressional committees have existed over time and continue to exist. A prominent examples of republican congressional committees is the Peninsular Arab Republic's Congressional Oil & Gas Committee, which is a major decision-maker and source of policy concerning the republic's massive oil industry; a currently prominent federal-level example is the Congressional Committee on COVID-19.