GCC to replace chief as Kuwait retains office of secretary general

Nayef Al Hajraf's term comes to an end this month

Nayef Al Hajraf's term as Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council ends this month. AFP

Kuwait will replace the chief of the Gulf Cooperation Council while retaining its post of holding the council’s secretary general’s office for a term.

The GCC agreed this week that another Gulf national from Kuwait will head the council.

“The Supreme Council approved that Kuwait will retain the position of Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council for a second term, starting from the end of the current term of Secretary General Nayef Al Hajraf on January 31, 2023,” said the GCC.

Mr Al Hajraf took office on February 1, 2020. He was the Kuwaiti minister of finance before taking the role.

The new member is expected to take the position on February 1. It remains unknown who the candidates are.

“The Council expressed its deep appreciation for the great, sincere and distinguished efforts made by Mr Al Hajraf,” said the council.

The GCC was established in 1981 with the intention of promoting economic, security, cultural and social co-operation between six member states and holds a summit every year.

The member states are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The GCC’s Supreme Council is made up of the heads of the member states. It meets annually, although extraordinary sessions can be held on request.

UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan hosted the council's first meeting in Abu Dhabi on May 25-26, 1981.