27th Meeting of Their Excellencies the Ministers Concerned with Municipal Affairs in GCC Held

Their Excellencies the Ministers Concerned with Municipal Affairs in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries held their 27th meeting on Thursday (May 30, 2024), in the Qatari capital, Doha. The meeting was headed by His Excellency Eng. Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Minister of Municipality of the State of Qatar and President of the current session, and with the participation of Their Excellencies the Ministers Concerned with Municipal Affairs in the GCC countries, and His Excellency Mr Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the GCC.

On this occasion, HE the Secretary General said that the meeting discussed a number of important topics, most notably the implementation of the decisions issued by the esteemed Supreme Council in previous sessions with regard to the municipal field in relation to strategic urban planning and the urban environment, as well as the decisions of the esteemed Ministerial Council on the GCC Building Code, developing legislation, municipal oversight mechanisms, conditions and mechanism for classifying contractors, and the joint Gulf municipal action plan for the years 2024 – 2030.

Furthermore, His Excellency stated that the discussed topics also included following up on the implementation of previous decisions of the Committee of Their Excellencies the Ministers Concerned with Municipal Affairs regarding the “Gulf Municipal Week”, and signing agreements with specialised organisations that serve the municipal work field. The Gulf Municipal Work Conference, the Cooperation Council Award for Municipal Work, and highlighting Gulf municipal work in regional and international forums was also on the meeting’s agenda.

Moreover, His Excellency stated that the meeting set the date for the third edition of the Gulf Municipal Week to be held in the State of Kuwait in 2025, as well as the dates for the 13th Gulf Municipal Work Conference in 2026, and the launch of the conference. Additionally, the meeting set the dates for the sixth edition of the Cooperation Council Award for Municipal Work during the years 2025-2026. Other decisions of common Gulf municipal interest were also reviewed in the meeting.

During his speech, HE the Secretary General also congratulated the success of the Second Gulf Municipal Week and the activities it included, which was hosted by the State of Qatar from April 28 to May 2, 2024.