The 26th Arab Summit kicked off in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el Sheikh Saturday.
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi chairs the two-day event that marks 70 years of joint Arab action.
Fourteen heads of state are taking part in the summit.
Syria's seat remains vacant in line with an Arab League Council decision to suspend Syria's participation in all AL meetings.
Besides Egypt, the presidents of the Palestinian Authority, Sudan, Tunisia, Iraq, Mauritania, Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen are attending the summit.
The kings of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain and the emirs of Kuwait and Qatar are also present.
Arab prime ministers, Speakers, foreign ministers and personal representatives of other Arab leaders are also here for the summit.
The summit will probe a report by AL Secretary General Nabil el Araby on joint Arab action.
Participants will also discuss the Palestinian cause and the latest developments regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict.
They will talk about activating the Arab peace initiative and supporting the "Palestine" budget.
Developing the pan-Arab body is also on the agenda of the summit. Arab leaders will be seeking to amend the AL charter and the statute of the Arab peace and security council.
Figuring high will also be the latest developments in Syria, Libya and Yemen.
A summit session will tackle Arab support for the Federal Republic of Somalia.
Iran's occupation of the UAE's islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa will also be discussed.
Arab national security and the fight against terrorism is on the agenda as well.
The Arab leaders will discuss draft resolutions referred by the AL Social and Economic Council.
A draft Sharm el Sheikh declaration will also be reviewed, as well as the venue of the 27th Arab summit.
Arab foreign ministers had met here on Thursday and agreed on a draft resolution to form a unified Arab force.
The resolution has been referred to the Arab leaders for ratification.
Head of the previous session of the summit, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al Ahmed al Jaber al Sabah, was first to address the summit.
He thanked president Sisi and the Egyptian government and people for the warm welcome and a well-organized event.
The Kuwaiti emir also appreciated efforts exerted by the Arab League under Secretary General Nabil el Araby during the 25th Arab summit, which he chaired.
Sheikh Sabah touched upon unremitting efforts by his country during the 25th Arab summit that came out with resolutions meant to activate joint Arab action.
"After more than four years of a new stage of chaos and instability - which some called the 'Arab Spring' - that jeopardized our security and undermined our stability and dragged us into complicated calculations ... to remap the geography of our region and led to a sharp decline in development rates ... Arab countries are urged to counter those challenges through a collective effort and unity," the Kuwaiti emir said.
He called on all Arab countries to forget about disputes and focus on protecting regional security and achieving aspirations of the Arab peoples.
President Sisi was handed over the presidency of the 26th Arab Summit from the Kuwaiti emir.
He delivered Egypt's speech to the summit.
Sisi welcomed kings, presidents and emirs attending the event.
He thanked Sheikh Sabah for his sharp vision during his presidency of the 25th summit, noting that it added to efforts to activate joint Arab action.
Sisi also appreciated efforts exerted by the Arab League under Secretary General Nabil el Araby during the previous summit and in preparation for this one.
Sisi said that he senses a great responsibility heading this summit for the first time as president of Egypt, which he called the "house of Arabs".
"Egypt is honored to host and head this session in light of threats facing the Arab nation in this stage," Sisi told the summit.
Themed "challenges facing the Arab national security", the summit does reflect an awareness of the need to act to counter those threats without delay.
He pressed for adopting a balanced approach to achieve that.
The Arab world has never faced a challenge to its existence and identity as it does today, the president said.
He touched upon threats to destroy the social fabric of Arab communities, divide citizens and foment sedition.
Sisi talked about another challenge, which is that of terrorism, stressing that it directly affects security of citizens.
Those who promote extremist ideologies aim to destroy and undermine state entity, he added.
Sisi pointed to shortcomings in a number of Arab countries, where securing needs of citizens is concerned.
Those legal demands were used by some to usurp nations and declare war on the peoples to force them to give in to them, Sisi said.
"We've also seen how terrorism has grown more fierce in its war on safe people," the president said, adding that terrorists are boldly committing crimes with no regard to religious norms and humanitarian morals.
Their aim is to wreak havoc on people by showing off their ability to challenge state authorities, Sisi said.
It is their tool to promote extremist ideologies under the cover of religion to achieve political gains, he noted.
It is only fair to settle with confidence and insistence all social and economic problems that, if accumulated, will pose yet another threat to Arab societies, the president said.
Sisi was particularly speaking about the unemployment of youth, illiteracy and poverty.
That's why a periodical Arab summit on economic, development and social affairs is held, he noted.
Saudi Arabia's King addressed the 26th Arab Summit in Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh town on Saturday.
The king touched on the ongoing military operation in Yemen, saying that it will continue until it achieves its goals, particularly ending the Houthi coup and returning the legitimate president.
He, meanwhile called on all Yemeni factions to start a serious dialogue and offered to host the talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The Saudi monarch reiterated his country's support to the Palestinian cause, saying that just peace and establishing an independent Palestinian state are the only way out of the crisis.
He also touched on the situation in Libya and Yemen.
Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi addressed the 26th Arab Summit in Egypt's Sharm el Sheikh town on Saturday.
Hadi focused on the current crisis in his country, accusing Houthi militants along with foreign powers of undermining Yemen.
He further said that Yemen has chosen the dialogue path and held a comprehensive national conference in March 2013, with the participation of all parties in line with the Gulf initiative.
Hadi also talked about fleeing from a house arrest in the capital Sanaa and said that the Yemenis are resisting the Houthis.
The president called for protests against the Houthis all over Yemen to show the popular will in support of constitutional legitimacy.
Hadi expressed his appreciation for the Arab countries for supporting his country, adding that “Operation Decisive Storm” was aimed at protecting the Yemenis against “failed aggression” and the Houthis' "obsession with power."
The Yemeni president, meanwhile, praised Egypt’s leading role in the region as the pulsing heart of Arabism and the valve of security.
He concluded his speech by calling on the Yemeni army to protect their people and their country, adding that the Saudi-led coalition campaign is a "test" to the joint Arab force.
Arab League Secretary General Nabil el Arabi addressed Saturday the 26th Arab Summit in Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh town.
Arabi focused on the Palestinian cause, saying that the ever growing changes in the Arab world prompt upgrading the Arab League's performance.
The AL chief described the Palestinian cause as a major challenge in the Arab region, noting that achieving comprehensive regional peace and security is closely connected with resolving the Palestinian crisis by establishing an independent state with Al Quds (East Jerusalem) as its capital.
He warned that the chances of achieving peace is diminishing, unless the Arabs and the international community shoulder their responsibilities to stop the "frivolous" negotiations and push Israel to adhere to a firm timetable to reach a two-state solution.
United Nations Ban Ki-moon addressed Saturday the 26th Arab Summit in Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh town.
The UN chief praised the progress of political process in Tunis, saying that it became a model for the region and beyond.
He also touched on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, noting that after seven months of the war end, "Gaza remains a tinderbox - and the situation is getting worse by the day."
Ban called on donors to make good on the pledges they made in Cairo last October.
"Help bring Gaza back to life," he said.
He criticized Tel Aviv's policies, stressing that Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal and constitute a serious impediment to peace.
The UN head tackled the Yemeni crisis.
He reiterated his condemnation to the attempts by the Houthis and former Yemeni president to undermine political agreements by military force.
Ban then turned to the Syrian issue, saying that he instructed Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to intensify political efforts and to consult widely with Security Council members as well as throughout the region, including with the Syrian parties themselves.
"I plead that we collectively move forward in implementing the Geneva Communique," he said.
He also touched on the situation in Libya, Somalia and Darfur, calling for more efforts to address the root causes of the conflicts in the Arab countries.
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad Madani addressed Saturday the 26th Arab Summit in Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh resort city.
Madani asserted that the OIC pins great hopes on the Arab Summit, the largest gathering of Arab leaders.
He said the 57-member organization has always backed the Arab and Islamic issues.
The OIC head reiterated support for the Palestinian cause, noting that preparations were underway to hold an exceptional Islamic summit on the situation in the occupied lands.
He criticized the continuous violations against the Al Aqsa mosque.
Madani also urged returning to the negotiating table under the Arab peace initiative.
Arab Parliament Speaker Ahmed al Jarwan delivered a speech concluding the inaugural session of the 26th Arab Summit on Saturday in Egypt's Sharm el Sheikh resort city.
The Speaker said the summit was held at a pivotal time as terrorism plagues the region.
He touched on the conflicts in many Arab countries, such as Libya, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Palestine and Yemen.
The Arab Parliament voiced its support to the Saudi-led operation in Yemen to counter the Houthi threat, he added.
He criticized the Houthi militants for rejecting any proposal to end the rift.
Following his address, the inaugural session was adjourned.