Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf
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It has been suggested that Peninsula Shield Force be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
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Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG)
مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية |
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Map indicating CCASG members
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| Headquarters | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | |||||
| Official languages | Arabic | |||||
| Type | Trade bloc | |||||
| Membership |
6 members
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| Leaders | ||||||
| - | Secretary General | Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani | ||||
| - | Supreme Council Presidency | United Arab Emirates | ||||
| Establishment | ||||||
| - | As the GCC | May 25, 1981 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 2,672,700 km2 1,031,935 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | negligible | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2008 estimate | 42,500,000[1] | ||||
| - | Density | 14.44/km2 37.4/sq mi |
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| GDP (nominal) | 2008 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $1.037 trillion | ||||
| - | Per capita | $26,900 | ||||
| Currency | Khaleeji (proposed) 6 currencies
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| Website http://www.gcc-sg.org |
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The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG; Arabic: مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a political and economic union of the Persian Gulf Arab states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. On May 10, 2011, a request by Jordan to join the GCC was formally being considered and Morocco was invited to join the council.[2]
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[edit] Founding
Created on May 25, 1981, the original Council comprised the 630-million-acre (2,500,000 km2) 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;[3][4][5][6]
- 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.[4]
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. In an effort to build a tax base and economic foundation before the reserves run out, the UAE's investment arms, including Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, retain over $900 billion in assets. Other regional funds also have several hundred billion dollars.
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.
In 2006, its GDP (nominal) was $717.8 billion (IMF April 2007), led by spectacular growth in United Arab Emirates and Qatar.[7] In 2007, its GDP (nominal) was $1,022.62 billion (IMF April 2008). IMF predicts its GDP to reach $1,112.076 billion at end of 2008 and $1,210.112 billion at end of 2009. 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.
Recently[when?], the leaders of the Council have come under fire for doing too little to combat the economic downturn. While GCC countries were among the first hit - and the first to respond to the crisis - their programs have been prone to disparities, and they have placed their region on the brink of even deeper crises. Recovery plans have been criticized for crowding out the private sector, failing to set clear priorities for growth, failing to restore weak consumer and investor confidence, and undermining long-term stability.[8]
[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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11][12][13]
[edit] Secretaries-General
- Abdullah Bishara,[14] 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 - 31 March 2011
- Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Bahrain, 1 April 2011 to Present
[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] Macro-economic trend
| Year | GDP (in millions) | GDP Per Capita (as % of USA) |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $250,675 | 152.00 |
| 1985 | $183,069 | 60.19 |
| 1990 | $207,735 | 41.28 |
| 1995 | $261,072 | 37.10 |
| 2000 | $375,483 | 36.26 |
| 2005 | $664,582 | 45.19 |
| 2010 | $1,084,647 | 56.56 |
[edit] Related states
Not all of the countries neighbouring the Persian Gulf are members of the council; Iran and Iraq are currently excluded. The associate membership of Iraq in certain GCC-related institutions was discontinued after the invasion of Kuwait.[15]
[edit] Iraq
The associate membership of Iraq in certain GCC-related institutions was discontinued after the invasion of Kuwait.[15] The GCC States have announced that they support the Document of The International Compact with Iraq that was adopted at Sharm El-Sheikh on 4–5 May 2007. It calls for regional economic integration with the neighboring states but there is no prospect of Iraqi accession to the GCC.[16]
[edit] Yemen
Yemen is (currently[update]) in negotiations for GCC membership, and hopes to join by 2016, despite the fact in the Arabian peninsula,common tribes, close Families relations common culture Same history as the ancestress land of most tribes in the Arabian peninsula but also that it has no coastline on the Persian Gulf.[17] The GCC has already approved Yemen's accession to the GCC Standardization Authority, Gulf Organization for Industrial Consultancy, GCC Auditing and Accounting Authority, Gulf Radio and TV Authority, The GCC Council of Health Ministers, The GCC Education and Training Bureau, The GCC Council of Labour & and Social Affairs Ministers, and The Gulf Cup Football Tournament. The Council issued directives that all the necessary legal measures be taken so that Yemen would have the same rights and obligations of GCC member states in those institutions.[18] There is, however, some resistance to full Yemeni membership amongst few GCC states, due to the country's poverty, different system of government, and the legality of qat in the country.[citation needed]
[edit] Jordan
Jordan's request to join the GCC has now been welcomed (as of May, 2011), despite the fact that it has no coastline on the Persian Gulf, not in the Arabian peninsula and the differences in tribal societies structure, following efforts by Abdullah II of Jordan. [19] Jordan's expertise in military is depicted here, as military assistance to combat political reform is one of the many assumptions that seek to explain why the GCC welcomed Jordan's potential membership, Jordan even have sent a unit of about 800 police and army to assist GCC troops in Bahrain. The force, however, operated under the umbrella of Saudi Arabia to avoid being publicly as trying to crush the predominantly Shiite uprising[20].
[edit] Morocco
Morocco has been invited to join the GCC. Morocco has a well developed military that could assist in Saudi Arabia's efforts in the Yemen conflict. Because of the potential investment from GCC members, Morocco would also benefit from joining.[citation needed]
[edit] Related organizations
The GCC members and Yemen are also members of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA). However, this is unlikely to significantly affect the agenda of the GCC as it has a more aggressive timetable than GAFTA and is seeking greater integration.
[edit] See also
- Peninsula Shield
- Rugby union in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, which administer rugby in this area
- Arab states of the Persian Gulf
- Iran-Arab relations
- US - Middle East Free Trade Area (US-MEFTA)
- Euro-Mediterranean free trade area (EU-MEFTA)
- Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU)
- Khaleeji (currency) - A proposed currency for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Persian Gulf
- Gulf Railway
- Middle East economic integration
[edit] References
- ^ Talk:Arabian Peninsula#the Population wikipedia. Retrieved 2008.
- ^ Alsharif, Asma (2011-05-10). "1-Gulf bloc to consider Jordan, Morocco membership". Reuters. http://af.reuters.com/article/moroccoNews/idAFLDE7492I020110510. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
- ^ [|Khan, Mohsin S.] (April 2009) (PDF). The GCC Monetary Union: Choice of Exchange Rate Regime. Washington DC, USA: Peterson Institute for International Economics. http://www.iie.com/publications/wp/wp09-1.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ^ a b [|Sturm, Michael]; [|Siegfried, Nikolaus] (June 2005) (PDF). Regional Monetary Integration in the Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: European Central Bank. ISSN 1725-6534. Occasional Paper Series, No. 31. http://www.ecb.int/pub/pdf/scpops/ecbocp31.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ^ [|Abed, George T.]; [|Erbas, S. Nuri]; Guerami, Behrouz (April 1, 2003) (PDF). The GCC Monetary Union: Some Considerations for the Exchange Rate Regime. Washington DC, USA: International Monetary Fund (IMF). ISSN 1934-7073. Working Paper No. 03/66. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=16173.0. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
- ^ Gulf Currency
- ^ See references in List of countries by GDP (nominal)
- ^ Arab Countries Stumble in the Face of Growing Economic Crisis, http://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23120&prog=zgp&proj=zie,zme
- ^ "GCC Patent Office page of the GCC website". http://www.gcc-sg.org/eng/index.php?action=Sec-Show&ID=62&W2SID=3439. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
- ^ Arab Times :: GCC states to launch joint market today
- ^ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/14/3163869.htm?section=justin (ABC News Australia)
- ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/03/14/bahrain.protests/ (CNN)
- ^ Gulf forces intervene in Bahrain after violent clashes
- ^ "Clip No. 426: excerpts from an interview with the former Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Abdallah Bishara". TV Monitor Project, MEMRI. December 12, 2004. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20050210170640/http://www.memritv.org/Transcript.asp?P1=426. Retrieved 2007-04-07.[dead link]
- ^ a b see GCC statement on Media Cooperation
- ^ see Political Affairs
- ^ "Yemen hopeful to join GCC in 2016". Yemen Times. December 19, 2006. http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=905&p=local&a=7. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
- ^ see The Closing Statement of the Twenty Second Session GCC The Final Communiqué of The 29th Session
- ^ see [1]
- ^ http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=13586238
[edit] External links
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