Many Arab cities of historical, heritage and architectural value suffer from various forms of deterioration whose causes differ, and most of them lack the specialized expertise to address this deterioration. This leads some countries to seek foreign expertise to preserve their urban and architectural heritage and to devise strategies capable of maintaining their built heritage. However, these experts are often unfamiliar with the specificities of the Arab reality in terms of the culture of these cities' inhabitants, their way of life and their vision for the future of their urban centers. As a result, the outcome runs contrary to the aspirations of governments and their peoples, in that it does not take into account the reality of the local population and the particularity of the urban landscapes and their rootedness in their urban fabric.

The Charter for the Preservation and Development of Urban Heritage in the Arab States, within its frame of reference, focused on the role of Arab ministers of tourism in preserving Arab urban and architectural heritage for future generations, and on their emphasis on the need to harness it to achieve economic, social and cultural development. On this basis, the Organization was tasked by the Economic and Social Council of the League of Arab States with establishing a mechanism to implement the Charter, through the "creation of the Observatory of Arab Architectural and Urban Heritage in the Arab Countries," which provides in particular for the establishment of a register of Arab urban heritage under the supervision of ALECSO.