Gulf Cooperation Council

Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf
مجلس التعاون لدول الخلیج العربية
Flag of Gulf Cooperation Council
Flag
Logo of Gulf Cooperation Council
Logo
Map indicating GCC members
Map indicating GCC members
HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
Official languagesArabic
TypeTrade bloc
Membership
Leaders
• Secretary general
Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi
• Supreme Council presidency
United Arab Emirates[1]
Establishment25 May 1981; 43 years ago (1981-05-25)
Area
• Total
2,673,108 km2 (1,032,093 sq mi)
• Water (%)
0.6
Population
• 2023 estimate
59,620,000[a] (25th)
• Density
22.3/km2 (57.8/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2021 estimate
• Total
$3.655 trillion (9th)
• Per capita
$71,200 (10th)
GDP (nominal)2021 estimate
• Total
$2.250 trillion[a] (7th)
• Per capita
$34,300[a] (35th)
Gini (2012)Positive decrease 28.7
low inequality
HDI (2021)Increase 0.860
very high (40th)
Currency
6 currencies
Time zoneUTC+3 to UTC+4
Website
gcc-sg.org/en-us/Pages/default.aspx Edit this at Wikidata

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf[2] (Arabic: مجلس التعاون لدول الخلیج العربية), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; Arabic: مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.[3][4] The council's main headquarters is located in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.[5] The Charter of the GCC was signed on 25 May 1981, formally establishing the institution.[6]

All current member states are monarchies, including three constitutional monarchies (Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain),[7][8] two absolute monarchies (Saudi Arabia and Oman), and one federal monarchy (the United Arab Emirates, which is composed of seven member states, each of which is an absolute monarchy with its own emir). There have been discussions regarding the future membership of Jordan, Morocco, and Yemen.[9][10]

During the Arab Spring in 2012, Saudi Arabia proposed to transform the GCC into a "Gulf Union" with tighter economic, political and military coordination, a move considered to be intended to counterbalance Iranian influence in the region,[11] however objections were raised by other countries.[12][13] In 2014, Bahraini prime minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa said that current events in the region highlighted the importance of the proposal.[14] The Peninsula Shield Force is the military arm of the GCC, formed in 1984.[15]

  1. ^ "Kuwait hopes emir visit to Iran will boost Gulf peace". Gulf News. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  2. ^ "GCC Charter". Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  3. ^ Sara Hamdan (4 January 2012). "A Call for Private Investment in Gulf Health Care". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  4. ^ "U.A.E. Quits Gulf Monetary Union". Wall Street Journal. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2013. The move represents a rare public rift between members of the GCC, an economic and political union aimed at fostering better ties between the oil-rich Arab states straddling the Persian Gulf.
  5. ^ "Gulf Cooperation Council – GCC Countries". The balance. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Charter of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)" (PDF). International Relations and Security Network. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  7. ^ "US State Dept's Country Political Profile – Qatar" (PDF).
  8. ^ "US State Dept's Country Political Profile – Bahrain" (PDF).
  9. ^ Asma Alsharif (10 May 2011). "1-Gulf bloc to consider Jordan, Morocco membership". Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  10. ^ "Yemen to join GCC by 2015". Arabian Business. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  11. ^ Andrew Hammond (17 May 2012). "Analysis: Saudi Gulf union plan stumbles as wary leaders seek detail". Reuters.
  12. ^ "Saudi Arabia Seeks Union of Monarchies in Region." The New York Times, 14 May 2012.
  13. ^ "Gulf Union on agenda at annual GCC summit". Al Arabiya News. english.alarabiya.net. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  14. ^ "Gulf Union 'crucial for stability'". Gulf Digital News. 12 August 2014. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  15. ^ "The Gulf Cooperation Council". Rebuild the Middle-East. Retrieved 7 July 2021.


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