Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

Purpose

Promote coordination, integration and cooperation among Arab Gulf states in economic, security and political affairs.

Members:

6 member states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman)

Headquarters:

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

History

The GCC was founded in 1981 amid regional instability following the Iranian Revolution (1979) and the Iran–Iraq War, bringing together the six Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf for closer cooperation.

Structure

• Supreme Council (Heads of State)
• Ministerial Council
• Secretariat-General, headed by the Secretary-General

Key facts

• Qatar was diplomatically and economically boycotted by several fellow GCC members from 2017 to 2021 in a major internal rift, since resolved

Pakistan's relationship

Not a member; GCC states, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, host millions of Pakistani workers and are Pakistan's largest sources of remittances.