Media Centre

Kuwait-hosted GCC summits prop up collaboration, meet public hopes

KUWAIT -- Since the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was established some 43 years ago, the State of Kuwait has hosted seven out of a total 44 summits mainly to promote pan-Gulf collaboration, attain integration and take concerted attitudes towards regional and global events.

During its seven summits, Kuwait did its utmost to provide the congenial atmosphere to ensure successful gatherings and come up with outcomes that could accomplish the Gulf bloc's goals and its leaders and peoples' hopes of unity, cooperation and togetherness.

Since May 25, 1981, the GCC has held 44 summits hosted by all the six GCC member countries in the presence of their leaders or their representatives, with their findings having focused on cementing public coherence, beefing up stability and achieving development.

In 1984, Kuwait played host to the first Gulf summit, which was the council's fifth session, and one of its most significant resolutions was the adoption of a formula that regulated Gulf citizens' rights of ownership in member countries.
Following the liberation of Kuwait from the brutal Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the second Gulf summit was held in Kuwait in 1991, having revolved around the regional developments and demands for Iraq to put UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions in place immediately as well as ways how to ensure Gulf security and stability.

In 1997, Kuwait hosted the 18th Gulf summit, which mainly focused on the latest regional and international developments and adopted three significant pillars: protecting and developing wildlife, handling radioactive materials, managing waste and taking necessary measures for inter-Gulf hazardous waste.

Regarding security, the GCC agreed to facilitate the movement of people, goods and trade exchange between member countries and to issue machine-readable passports.
In banking, the council decided to allow national banks to open branches in member countries as per specific regulations, permitting the Gulf International Bank to establish branches in Gulf countries.

In 2003, Kuwait hosted the 24th summit following the Iraq liberation war, with the GCC having voiced sympathy and solidarity with the Iraqi people and underlined the significance of linking member states together through various means of transport in a bid to better serve citizens, ensure smooth trade transport and facilitate citizens' movement by using ID cards, rather than passports.

Also during this Kuwait-hosted summit, the council adopted the Doha Document and Abu Dhabi Document regarding pan-Gulf legal and judicial cooperation. In 2009, the 30th summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council was held in Kuwait, where GCC member countries' equal treatment in technical education was given the thumbs up, together with a defensive strategy aiming at reinforcing joint GCC forces. It was also decided to start promoting cooperation with the European Union (EU) in order to serve bilateral interests.
The summit also called for bolstering international cooperation in counter-terrorism by mean of stepping up information exchange, preventing the use of countries' territories in preparing, planning and inciting terrorist activities and cooperating in the extradition of terrorists abroad.

The 34th GCC summit took place in Kuwait in 2013, with the leaders having decided to create a uniform GCC military command and assign the joint defense council to take everything necessary in this regard.
The council also decided to adopt uniform rules in member countries' financial markets, follow up on the proposed Gulf monetary fund and looked into the executive steps of the joint Gulf market, in addition to a decision authorizing the secondment of prosecutors and investigators between member countries.
Furthermore, the council asked the GCC Secretariat General to mull over a new fund to support Gulf young people's small and medium-sized enterprises and a standing program for Gulf youth aiming at developing their capabilities, boosting their contributions to developmental and humanitarian action, beefing up their leadership and positive values and promoting Gulf identity.

Kuwait played host to the 38th Gulf summit in 2017; the seventh gathering held in Kuwait and the first following the Gulf crisis involving Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on the one hand and Qatar on the other hand.

During this summit, the council denounced Iran's continued occupation of the three Emirati islands of the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa and designated any Iranian decision or measure on the three islands as null and void, while calling on Tehran to respond to efforts to resolve the cause through face-to-face negotiations to go to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Finally, Kuwait is poised to host the 45th GCC summit, the eighth gathering held in Kuwait, on December 1 only out of its belief in member countries' united goals and common destiny and necessity of strengthening pan-Gulf cooperation and completing steps, programs and projects for economic, social, political, security and military integration between the GCC countries.