Created on May 25, 1981, the original Council comprised the Persian Gulf states of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. The unified economic agreement between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council was signed on November 11, 1981 in Abu Dhabi. These countries are often referred to as The GCC States.
[edit]Objectives
Among the stated objectives are:
- formulating similar regulations in various fields such as economy, finance, trade, customs, tourism, legislation, and administration;
- fostering scientific and technical progress in industry, mining, agriculture, water and animal resources;
- establishing scientific research centers;
- setting up joint ventures;
- unified military presence (Peninsula Shield Force)
- encouraging cooperation of the private sector;
- strengthening ties between their peoples; and
- establishing a common currency by 2010;[2][3][4][5]
- Note on Commom Currency: However, Oman announced in December 2006 it would not be able to meet the target date. Following the announcement that the central bank for the monetary union would be located in Riyadh and not in the UAE, the UAE announced their withdrawal from the monetary union project in May 2009. The name Khaleeji has been proposed as a name for this currency. If realised, the GCC monetary union would be the second most important supranational monetary union in the world in terms of GDP, after the euro area.[3]
This area has some of the fastest growing economies in the world, mostly due to a boom in oil and natural gas revenues coupled with a building and investment boom backed by decades of saved petroleum revenues.
The region is also an emerging hotspot for events, including the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. Doha also submitted an unsuccessful application for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. However, Qatar was later chosen to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Qatar is expected to overtake top ranked Luxembourg in GDP (nominal) per capita next year for the world's top spot. See List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita.
[edit]Logo
The logo of the GCC consists of two concentric circles. On the upper part of the larger circle, the Bismillah phrase is written in Arabic. On the lower part of that circle, the Council's full name is written in Arabic. The inner circle contains an embossed hexagonal shape representing the Council's six member countries. The inside of the hexagon is filled by a map encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, on which the areas of the member countries are colored brown. No borders are shown.
[edit]Organizations
The GCC Patent Office was approved in 1992 and established soon after in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[8] Applications are filed and prosecuted in the Arabic language before the GCC Patent Office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is a separate office from the Saudi Arabian Patent Office. A GCC Patent cannot co-exist with a national application in any of the member states, therefore, a national application must be relinquished within 90 days of filing the GCC Patent Application.
A GCC common market was launched on January 1, 2008.[9] The common market grants national treatment to all GCC firms and citizens in any other GCC country, and in doing so removes all barriers to cross country investment and services trade. A customs union was declared in 2003, but practical implementation has lagged behind. Indeed, shortly afterwards, Bahrain concluded a separate Free Trade Agreement with the USA, in effect cutting through the GCC's agreement, and causing much friction.
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar on December 15, 2009 announced the creation of a Monetary Council, a step toward establishing a shared currency. The board of the council, which will set a timetable for establishing a joint central bank and choose a currency regime, will meet for the first time on March 30, 2010. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al- Sabah said on December 8, 2009 that a single currency may take up to 10 years to establish. The original target was in 2010. Oman and the UAE later announced their withdrawal of the proposed currency until further notice.
[edit]Peninsula Shield Force
Amidst the 2011 Bahraini protests, Gulf Cooperation Council forces from Saudi Arabia and the UAE were sent to Bahrain in March 2011.[10][11][12] Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi dubbed the council as "Gulf Uncooperative Council" for its actions.[13][14][15]
[edit]Secretaries-General
- Abdullah Bishara,[16] Kuwait, 26 May 1981 — April 1993
- Fahim bin Sultan al-Qasimi, United Arab Emirates, April 1993 — April 1996
- Jamil bin Ibrahim al-Hujailan, Saudi Arabia, April 1996 — 31 March 2002
- AbdulRahman bin Hamad al-Attiyah, Qatar, 1 April 2002 to date
[edit]Member States
There are six member states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG) or Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
| Flag | Common name | Official name (English) | Official name (Arabic) |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Bahrain | Kingdom of Bahrain | Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn |
 | Kuwait | State of Kuwait | Dawlat al-Kuwayt |
 | Oman | Sultanate of Oman | Salṭanat ʻUmān |
 | Qatar | State of Qatar | Dawlat Qaṭar |
 | Saudi Arabia | Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya |
 | United Arab Emirates | State of the United Arab Emirates | Dawlat al-Imārāt al-‘Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah |
[edit]Related states
Not all of the countries neighbouring the Persian Gulf are members of the council; Iran and Iraq are currently excluded, although both nations have a coastline on the Gulf. The associate membership of Iraq in certain GCC-related institutions was discontinued after the invasion of Kuwait.[17]
[edit]Iraq
The associate membership of Iraq in certain GCC-related institutions was discontinued after the invasion of Kuwait.
[edit]Yemen
Yemen is (currently) in negotiations for GCC membership, and hopes to join by 2016, despite the fact that it has no coastline on the Gulf.[20]There is, however, some resistance to full Yemeni membership amongst most GCC states, due to the country's poverty, different system of government, and the legality of qat in the country.
[edit]Related organizations
The GCC members and Yemen are also members of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA).
No comments:
Post a Comment