Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi met with Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, today at the headquarters of the WTO in Geneva.
At the outset of the meeting, the GCC Secretary General commended the efforts of the WTO in addressing the challenges facing international trade, especially in light of the economic fluctuations affecting economies worldwide.
He reiterated the commitment of the GCC countries to support the initiatives of the WTO and emphasised the important role of the GCC countries in the global trading system.
During the meeting, they discussed enhancing cooperation between the GCC and the WTO to address global challenges such as food security, the impact of geopolitical tensions on trade, and securing supply chains.
They underlined the importance of the multilateral trading system and the role of the WTO in supporting global economic stability. They also stressed the need for a unified approach to tackle global trade challenges, leveraging available opportunities for growth and development, as well as exploring the participation of the GCC in the work of WTO committees to gain further trade expertise that would benefit the trade sector in GCC countries.
The meeting also addressed preparations for the upcoming thirteenth ministerial conference scheduled to be held in February. Furthermore, the GCC Secretary General expressed deep appreciation for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as the host city for this significant conference. Meanwhile, both parties expressed strong optimism regarding the accomplishment of positive outcomes during the upcoming conference, drawing upon the successful experiences of previous conferences.
source: spa.gov.sa