Cooperation Between The Un And The Gulf Cooperation Council Gcc

UN-GCC Cooperation Expected Council Action In April, the Security Council is expected to hold a high-level briefing on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), under the agenda item “Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations”. The briefing will be one of the signature events of Bahrain’s April Security Council presidency and marks the first Council meeting focused on cooperation between the UN and the GCC. Bahraini Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani is expected to chair the meeting.

The anticipated briefers are the GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi and Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) Mohamed Khaled Khiari. Background and Key Developments Established in 1981 following a meeting in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, the GCC is a regional, intergovernmental organisation that serves as a platform for cooperation on political, economic, and sociocultural issues affecting the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

The GCC comprises six member states—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the organisation is structured around three key decision-making organs: the Supreme Council, Ministerial Council, and Secretariat General. Its mandate focuses on achieving coordination, integration, and interconnection among member states; formulating similar regulations in various sectors; and strengthening cooperation across different fields, such as economic and financial affairs, trade, and scientific and technological progress in industry, mining, and agriculture, among other areas.

The GCC has held permanent observer status at the UN General Assembly since 2007 and engages with various international and regional organisations, including the African Union (AU), the European Union, the League of Arab States (LAS), and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Enhancing cooperation with regional and sub-regional organisations, as envisioned in Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, remains a prominent theme for the Security Council, especially in addressing issues of peace and security.

On multiple occasions, the Council has convened briefings to discuss strengthening cooperation between the UN and regional organisations. For instance, the Council has held annual consultative meetings with the members of the AU Peace and Security Council since 2007 to bolster cooperation and dialogue between the two bodies to confer and address peace and security challenges affecting the African continent.

In addition, the Council has convened debates and briefings on cooperation with several other organisations, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the LAS, the OIC, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Over the past several years, the GCC has expressed positions on country situations on the Council’s agenda, particularly those relating to the Middle East. Individual GCC member states have also played an instrumental role in mediation efforts across regional and international disputes.

For instance, Qatar played a key role in brokering the 2020 Doha Peace Agreement between the US and the Taliban and the 2011 Darfur Peace Agreement, while in more recent years, it has engaged in ongoing mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have also positioned themselves as important diplomatic players in global mediation efforts, particularly in facilitating prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia in 2022 and 2025, respectively. Both countries were also involved in helping forge a peace agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia in 2018.

Since the onset of the regional conflict in the Middle East on 28 February with US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, the security situation of the GCC countries and Jordan has become increasingly precarious. Tehran has continued to target these countries’ civilian and energy infrastructure, intensifying its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities around the Gulf. According to media reports, it has reportedly launched thousands of drones and missiles against GCC countries, with the largest number striking the UAE.

Following the attacks, Bahrain, as well as France, with Colombia’s support, requested an emergency briefing under the agenda item “The situation in the Middle East”, citing Tehran’s strikes on several countries in the Gulf region. China and Russia also asked for a meeting but under the agenda item “Threats to international peace and security”. The meeting was eventually held under the Middle East agenda item.

Speaking on behalf of the GCC, Bahrain characterised the attacks as “flagrant violation[s] of the GCC countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity”, calling on the Security Council to assume all its responsibilities in confronting these violations and preventing their recurrence. (For more information on the meeting, see our 28 February What’s in Blue story.) The Ministerial Council of the GCC similarly convened an extraordinary meeting via videoconference on 1 March to discuss the regional effects of Iran’s aggression.

During the meeting, the Council strongly condemned Tehran’s aggression towards the GCC countries and Jordan, affirming that “they will take all necessary measures to defend their security and stability and to protect their territories, citizens, and residents, including the option of responding to the aggression”. Bahrain, in its capacity as the current president of the Ministerial Council, chaired the meeting. On 11 March, the Security Council adopted resolution 2817, presented by Bahrain on behalf of the GCC member states and Jordan.

Co-sponsored by 136 UN member states and adopted with 13 affirmative votes and 2 abstentions (China and Russia), the resolution condemns Tehran’s strikes in the strongest terms and determines that such acts constitute a breach of international law and a serious threat to international peace and security. It further demands Tehran’s immediate cessation of all attacks against these countries.

(For more information on the resolution, see our 11 March What’s in Blue story.) In addition to the region’s precarious security landscape, the GCC countries’ economic situation has also been affected as a result of the war. As part of its retaliation campaign against Washington and Tel Aviv, Tehran has effectively closed off the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint that underpins the economies of the GCC countries and through which about a fifth of global oil supplies pass.

Iran’s interference with the waterway has reportedly upended energy production and inflicted major disruptions to broader supply chains, including aviation, tourism, and agriculture. So far, the crisis has reportedly removed about 400 million barrels, approximately four days of the global oil supply, from the market, triggering price increases of around 50 percent.

Some analysts argue that Tehran’s disruptions place the region at risk of some of the most severe economic harm since the 1990-1991 Gulf War, warning that “outputs are expected to drop substantially further if commercial shipping continues to avoid the strait due to Tehran’s threats”. At the time of writing, fighting in the region continues. Despite unverified reports of contacts between the US and Iran—which Tehran has publicly denied—there appears to be no immediate prospect for a diplomatic off-ramp at this stage.

Key Issues and Options Strengthening cooperation with the UN and the GCC is a key issue for the Council, against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf. Amid escalating tensions between the US and Israel, on the one hand, and Iran, on the other, the precarity of the region’s security situation and its potential spillover effects across the broader Middle East continues to be a source of mounting concern for Council members.

The economic implications of the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz for the GCC countries and the global market further compound the region’s instability, highlighting the need to preserve regional and international peace and security. Another issue is how both organisations can enhance cooperation on thematic priorities, including the women, peace and security (WPS) and youth, peace and security (YPS) agendas, while addressing emerging threats and challenges, such as maritime security, counterterrorism, and food-and-water insecurity.

At the time of writing, it appears that Bahrain, on behalf of the GCC countries, has proposed another resolution that addresses the threats to the freedom of navigation in and near the Strait of Hormuz. In addition to the draft resolution, Bahrain has circulated a draft presidential statement, which apparently focuses on the importance of strengthening cooperation between the UN and the GCC in promoting regional stability and maintaining international peace and security. At the time of writing, negotiations on both texts were at an early stage.

During the briefing in April, Council members could propose concrete ideas for strengthening the partnership between the UN and the GCC particularly in the areas of mediation, preventive diplomacy, post conflict stabilisation, and humanitarian response. The briefing could also provide a platform for both organisations to reaffirm their commitment to addressing emerging threats and challenges, countering terrorism, and sustaining peace and security and identify practical avenues for strengthening their joint efforts in this regard.

Members could also choose to establish a regular cycle of meetings between the Council and the GCC through the presidential statement, which would allow for greater cooperation particularly in addressing threats to international peace and security in the region. Such an annual meeting could follow the practice of the LAS meetings and be held annually in New York during the presidency of the Arab member in the Council.

Alternatively, the meetings could alternate between New York and the GCC headquarters in Riyadh, in line with the UN-AU meetings, which rotate between New York and the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa. Council and Wider Dynamics It appears that Council members are generally supportive of the initiative to hold a briefing on the UN’s cooperation with the GCC. Moreover, Council members seem interested in further engaging with GCC member states, especially in light of the Gulf countries’ role in mediation initiatives.

Regional security developments have also generated increased interest in enhancing cooperation between the two entities. Bahrain, on behalf of the GCC countries, is expected to stress the importance of strengthening institutional cooperation and fostering partnerships between the two organisations, notably in areas related to conflict prevention and mediation. However, differences in political alignments and priorities among Council members may colour the substance of discussions on certain conflict situations. A key area of divergence concerns the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The GCC has condemned Israel for aggression on the Gaza Strip following the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas and has supported the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, emphasising its importance for regional and global stability. At the same time, divergences exist among the GCC countries regarding this particular issue, as two member states—Bahrain and the UAE—signed the US-brokered Abraham Accords in September 2020, through which they normalised diplomatic relations with Israel and enhanced economic cooperation between the countries.

Since the signing of the accords, these diplomatic ties have faced periodic strain due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as seen in September 2025, when Israel carried out a military strike in Qatar against Hamas leadership. The attack drew significant criticism from several international interlocutors, including Bahrain, the UAE, and other GCC countries. The US is a key ally of Israel on the Council and has continued to extend its substantial political and diplomatic backing.

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