Al-Ula Declaration affirms noble objectives of GCC integration

The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States confirmed the noble objectives of the GCC, as stipulated in its statute to realize cooperation, interconnection and integration among the member states, in all domains, for reaching their unity, consolidating its regional and international roles and working as one political and economic group to contribute to realising security, peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
This was unfolded in Al-Ula Declaration which was issued at the conclusion of 41st session of the Supreme Council of the GCC member states “Sultan Qaboos and Sheikh Sabah Summit” in Al-Ula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 
Al-Ula Declaration — read by   Secretary-General of GCC H E Nayef Falah Al Hajraf — noted that GCC citizens hold great hopes that Al-Ula summit statement would restore the joint action to its normal track and enhance ties of amity and brotherhood among the peoples of the region.
The Arab Republic of Egypt’s signing of Al-Ula Declaration confirms cementing brotherly relations that binding the sisterly Egypt to the GCC member states, proceeding from provisions stipulated in the statute on coordination, cooperation and integration among the GCC member states shall best serve the noble objectives of the Arab nation.
The Declaration added that the challenge of the novel coronavirus pandemic proved to be possibly overcome through cooperation among the world nations such as the G20 unprecedented achievements reached during the presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in this respect.  The Declaration continued, “No doubt that combating the pandemic and tackling its fall outs enhance corroborating GCC joint action, especially, as following:
The full and precise carrying out of the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has been endorsed by the Supreme Council in its 36th session, in December 2015, in accordance with a fixed time-table and close following-up, including completing the prerequisites of the economic unity and the joint defense as well as security systems and a unified foreign policy materialisation.
Activating the role of the “Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control” which was established at this summit, based on the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in addition to enabling the Center to coordinate joint Gulf action to confront the COVID-19 pandemic and other epidemics.
Completing the requirements of the Customs Union and the Gulf Common Market, in addition to achieving full economic citizenship, including granting citizens of the GCC countries freedom to work, travel and invest, as well as equal access to education and health care, in addition to establishing the Gulf railway network, food and water security system, encouraging joint projects. 
The Declaration stressed on benefiting from advanced tools developed for cooperation within the framework of the G20, during the presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in all fields, including stimulating the economy, engaging the business sector and civil society institutions, empowering women and youth in economic development, and encouraging initiatives related to the digital economy and mandating the Council’s General Secretariat to follow up and develop plans and programs to implement this in cooperation with specialised expertise houses.
This is a long developing technical capability in government agencies, including artificial intelligence, to ensure speedy and efficient implementation of services and procedures, in addition to developing educational curricula, health care and digital trade strengthening cooperation between the Council’s institutions and the Digital Cooperation Organization which was established in 2020.
Al-Ula Declaration highlighted the importance of enhancing the tools of governance, transparency, accountability and integrity, and combating corruption through the joint Gulf action and in all bodies of the GCC and its offices and specialised organizations; and benefiting from what was agreed upon within the framework of the G20 and “Riyadh Initiative” regarding cooperation in investigating cross-border corruption cases and prosecuting their perpetrators, as corruption constitute a major impact on economic growth, sustainable development, and mutual trust between governments and peoples. The Declaration highlights promoting military integration among the GCC countries under the supervision of the Joint Defense Council, the Supreme Military Committee and the Unified Military Command of the Gulf Cooperation Council, to face the emerging challenges, based on the joint defence agreement and the principle of collective security for the GCC countries.
Al-Ula Declaration stressed importance of enhancing regional and international role of the Council by unifying political positions and developing strategic partnerships between the GCC and the states, groups and regional and international organisations in a way that serves common interests.
The Sultan Qaboos and Sheikh Sabah Summit confirmed the keenness of GCC leaders on consolidating the council’s gains, achieving the aspirations of citizens of GCC countries, and overcoming all obstacles that hinder the joint work process.