SALALAH: The Sultanate of Oman hosted here on Thursday, September 14, 2023, GCC ministries participating in an array of meetings, notably of the 65th Trade Cooperation Committee, the 51st Industrial Cooperation Committee, the 6th Ministerial Committee for Standardisation Affairs, and the consultative meeting between Commerce and Industry ministries and heads of federations and chambers of the GCC states.
The ministerial meetings were chaired by Qais bin Mohammed al-Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. In attendance were: Jassim bin Mohammed al-Badawy, Secretary-General of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council, Dr Thani bin Ahmed al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro, Bahraini Minister of Industry and Commerce, Bandar bin Ibrahim al Khorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Sultan bin Rashid al Khater, Under-Secretary of the Qatari Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Mohammed Othman al Aiban, Minister of Trade and Industry and Minister of State for Youth Affairs of the State of Kuwait, Mohammed bin Hazem al Ashul, Saudi Minister of Industry and Head of the Standards, Metrology and Quality Organisation, Shaikh Saud bin Nasser al Khusaibi, Chairman of the Gulf Standardisation Organisation, and Ahmed bin Mohammed al Mohammed, CEO of the Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting, among other dignitaries.
The meeting of the 51st Industrial Cooperation Committee discussed the report of the follow-up to the decisions of the meeting (50) of the Committee, the report on the inventory of the experiences of member countries in the field of future factories, the report on developments in creating a unified definition of the national (Gulf) product and its standards, a report on the activities of the Office of the Technical Secretariat to Combat Harmful Practises in International Trade, the report on the achievements of the Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting, and other topics related to the industrial sector in the GCC countries.
Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Oman’s Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, said that the industrial sector is one of the most important economic sectors at the level of the GCC countries, as it ranks second in the member countries with a contribution of more than 12.2 per cent . This sector achieved growth during 2022 by 8 per cent at current prices compared to 2021 to reach a value of $434 billion. Due to the importance of the industrial sector, yesterday 29 of the best factories from various GCC countries were honoured. The first Gulf Industrial Exhibition accompanying the meetings of GCC Ministers was also held from September 13 to 15, 2023.
The Ministers of Industry also approved the executive regulations of the unified industrial regulation (law) system, the amended controls on exempting industry inputs from customs duties (taxes), the proposal of the General Secretariat of the Arab GCC States on the establishment of an electronic information platform concerned with Gulf industrial projects, the proposal of the Secretariat-General on the white paper in the field of industry. The lists of goods subject to collective protection were also adopted, and the proposal of Saudi Arabia on the establishment of a workshop to determine opportunities for the integration of industries between the GCC countries.
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