This came during HE the Secretary General’s participation in the 26th meeting of the Committee of Their Excellencies the Ministers Concerned with Municipal Affairs in the GCC countries, held on Tuesday (September 12, 2023), via audiovisual communication, headed by His Excellency Sayyid Saud bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Governor of Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman, Chairman of the current session, with the participation of Their Excellencies the Ministers concerned with municipal affairs in the Cooperation Council countries.

At the beginning of the meeting, HE the Secretary General expressed gratitude and appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Sultan of Oman, Chairman of the current session of the Supreme Council of the Cooperation Council, and to Their Majesties and Highnesses the leaders of the GCC countries for Their wise guidance and keenness to advance and develop the process of joint Gulf municipal work, in order to achieve the noble goals of the Cooperation Council, represented in deepening cooperation, interconnection, and integration between the Council countries, strengthening the Council’s gains, and realising the aspirations of the citizens of the GCC countries.

Moreover, HE Mr Albudaiwi stated that Their Excellencies the Ministers had discussed a number of important common topics in the municipal field, foremost of which is the implementation of the decisions issued by the esteemed Supreme Council in its previous sessions in relation to the municipal field, strategic urban planning and the urban environment, as well as the decisions of the Ministerial Council with regards to the Unified GCC Building Code, the development of legislation, municipal control mechanisms, and the conditions and mechanism for classifying contractors.

His Excellency added that the meeting also discussed the proposals of the GCC General Secretariat on the joint Gulf municipal action plan for the years 2024 - 2030 and the signing of agreements with specialised organisations that serve the municipal field, as well as following up on the implementation of the previous decisions of the Committee of Their Excellencies the Ministers concerned with municipal affairs, and other topics of common interest.