Federation of the Gulf Cooperation Council Chambers (FGCCC)

The idea of establishing a federation to comprise the chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture in the Gulf Arab states which share similar economic conditions, flourished from a growing sense of the need to affirm the ties of brotherhood, unity of purpose and destiny and the need to support the steps taken to achieve economic cooperation between the Gulf states.

The preliminary meetings and communication between the chambers of commerce, industry, agriculture, and their federations in the Gulf Arab states led to the holding of the first economic development conference of the Arabian Gulf chambers in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during 16 to 20 October 1976 to discuss ways of economic cooperation in all fields between the citizens of the Arabian Gulf states and the role that the private sector can play in this regard. This conference was attended by the federations and chambers of commerce and industry in the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar and the State of Kuwait and the Republic of Iraq.

The discussions at the Conference resulted in the issuance of a number of resolutions and recommendations, the most important of which was the establishment of a federation to comprise the chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture of the Arab Gulf States based in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the setting up of a committee comprising the directors of the federations and chambers that attended the conference to prepare a draft constitution for the federation and present it to the Second Conference which was scheduled to be held in the State of Kuwait.

At the Second Conference of the Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of the Gulf Arab states held in the State of Kuwait on 14 October 1979, the constitution of the Federation of the Gulf Chambers was approved and the establishment of the Federation was declared. The constitution of the Federation was signed by all the heads and members of the federations and chambers of the Gulf Arab states participating in this meeting and as a result, the federations and chambers of the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Iraq, Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar and State of Kuwait became members of the Federation Council. After the invasion of the State of Kuwait by Iraq on 2 August 1990, the membership of the Republic of Iraq was terminated and the name of the Federation was changed to the Federation of the Gulf Cooperation Council Chambers (FGCCC).