His Excellency Mr Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), affirmed that peace and development are two inseparable sides of the same coin. He stated that the GCC countries are nations that believe in peace through dialogue and diplomacy and are considered the fourth largest donor for relief and humanitarian work globally. "The absence of development makes peace fragile and transient, while the absence of peace makes development an impossible goal." His Excellency stressed.
These remarks came during His Excellency's speech at the Doha Forum's event, held under the theme "Peace and Development: A Common Path Towards Stability". The event took place today, Friday, September 26, 2025 on the sidelines of His Excellency's participation in the meetings of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America.
At the beginning of his speech, His Excellency the GCC Secretary General praised the efforts of the State of Qatar in organising this session within the Doha Forum, which reflects the State of Qatar's firm commitment to dialogue, multilateralism, and humanitarian engagement. He also commended the efforts of Her Excellency Ms. Maryam Al Misnad, Minister of State for International Cooperation, and her team in making this valuable dialogue a success.
His Excellency the Secretary General stated that the GCC countries have been – and still are – at the forefront of humanitarian work and reconstruction.
"Between 2020 and 2025, the Council's countries provided nearly $14 billion in official humanitarian aid, making them the fourth-largest humanitarian donor globally, and the first from the Global South to consistently be among the world's top five donors." he said, adding: "According to 2024 data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the total contributions of the GCC countries amounted to $3.04 billion, distributed as follows: the United Arab Emirates with $1.239 billion, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with $1.233 billion, the State of Qatar with $511 million, the State of Kuwait with $55 million, and the Sultanate of Oman with $1.2 million."
His Excellency also highlighted a number of centres, conferences, and aid provided by the GCC countries, including the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre's provision of $25 million to the World Food Programme to support the most vulnerable groups in Yemen, the UAE's provision of $828 million in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and the State of Kuwait's hosting of the Iraq Reconstruction Conference in 2018, where GCC countries pledged billions of dollars to support rebuilding efforts, in addition to the continuous support for the Palestinian people through official channels and humanitarian organisations.
His Excellency affirmed that the GCC countries do not limit themselves to humanitarian aid, but also play a pivotal role in mediation and preventive diplomacy.
"They have contributed to efforts to resolve crises and bring parties closer together, such as the mediations in the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Qatar's efforts to stabilise the truce in Gaza, the Sultanate of Oman's role in facilitating US-Iranian dialogue, and Saudi Arabia's efforts through the Jeddah platform to resolve the conflict in Sudan, in addition to working on reintegrating Syria into its Arab and international surroundings." His Excellency stated.
His Excellency concluded his speech by emphasising that current challenges—from armed conflicts and humanitarian crises to development gaps and climate change—transcend borders and can only be addressed through multilateral cooperation.
He underlined that the GCC countries aspire to be, as they have been historically, a crossroads for trade and culture, a bridge for dialogue, and a platform for practical solutions that serve all of humanity.
