International Organizations

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International Organizations

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to strengthening its international relations with the countries of the world and with international organizations. In this context, GAFT is committed to enhancing the Kingdom's international presence and active participation in a number of international organizations in the field of foreign trade to ensure the achievement of common goals and achieve sustainable development. In addition, KSA's role in establishing international organizations is not limited to the founding role but also included supporting the founding charters and regulations of those organizations financially and morally, while contributing to the development of various activities, in accordance with the Kingdom's leading role in all international forums.

Brief:

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf established in May 1981. The Council is composed of 6 member states: (The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar and the State of Kuwait).The council aims to achieve coordination, integration and interdependence among member states in all fields to reach their unity, and to set similar systems in various fields, including trade, and to establish joint projects, and to encourage cooperation of the private sector. The GCC countries have made great strides in the field of trade cooperation, and worked to strengthen and develop it for the benefit of the GCC countries and citizens, and enhance the investment and trade climates.The structure of the joint Gulf economic work starts from the Supreme Council of Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, through the ministers and specialized committees, to the implementation and follow-up committees. The most prominent of which is the Commercial Cooperation Committee, which aims to develop trade exchange between the GCC countries and remove the obstacles they encounter, and work to unify Commercial laws and regulations to facilitate the freedom of commercial activity for citizens of the GCC countries.

Objectives:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia plays an active role in promoting joint Gulf action in various aspects, including trade and economic aspects in particular.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to have a unified trade policy among the GCC states within the framework of dealing with the outside world, such as the World Trade Organization and other international and regional organizations as a single economic unit to stimulate trade and investment exchange with the outside world.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks to increase the volume of trade exchange between the GCC states with trading partners around the world, increase the competitiveness of the Gulf states as a trading bloc, encourage and defend national products in foreign markets and protect local markets.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to develop and strengthen economic and commercial cooperation relations with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and is committed to implementing the provisions of the economic agreement, unified laws or decisions issued in implementation of its provisions.

For more information, you can visit:www.gcc-sg.org

Brief:
A regional organization compromised of 22 Arab countries from the continents of Asia and Africa, established in 1945 AD, and concerned with coordination between member states in various specialized fields, including trade, based in Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt.
Objectives:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to abide by the principles of the objectives of the League of Arab States, the Treaty of Joint Defense and Economic and Trade Cooperation, and the resolutions of the Arab summits, and in accordance with the mechanisms of joint Arab action.
Strengthening solidarity among Arab countries and coordinating their positions for a common Arab vision that serves the higher interests of Arab countries, achieves security and stability for the Arab people, and responds to the nation's aspirations for development, prosperity and progress.
The Kingdom's keenness to strengthening relations and cooperation among member states within the framework of the League of Arab States, in several fields, including: trade.
For more information, you can visit: www.leagueofarabstates.net

Brief:

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation established by a decision of the Islamic Summit held in Rabat, Morocco on September 25, 1969. The first Islamic conference of foreign ministers held in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1970, and the conference issued a decision to establish a general secretariat to be located in Jeddah. The organization is considere the second largest global organization after the United Nations and includes in its membership 57 Islamic countries. The organization is the collective voice of the Islamic world and seeks to protect its interests and express them in support of international peace and harmony and to strengthen relations between member states in various fields, including trade and economic, to ensure their common interests. H.E. Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha , Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, is serving during the current term.

Objectives:

The role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – President of the Islamic Summit and headquarters state of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – is to support Islamic solidarity and the continuous endeavors to reconcile between Muslims and enable them to speak with one voice, In keeping with the principles on which it was established and has followed since the era of its founder King Abdulaziz - may he rest in peace.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to enhance its influential presence and exert efforts to achieve sustainable and comprehensive human development and economic well-being for member states in a number of regional and international organizations, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, believing in the importance of the Kingdom's leading role in all international and regional forums.

For more information, visit: www.oic-oci.org

Brief:

The Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) is one of the four Standing committees formed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to develop topics of critical importance to the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It established during the third Islamic Summit Conference in Makkah al-Mukarramah in 1981 AD. The Committee includes in its membership 57 Islamic countries, as it is the main platform for multilateral economic and trade cooperation in the Islamic world. The COMCEC follows up on the implementation of decisions related to the fields of economy and trade, explores possible ways to enhance cooperation among member states, and prepares programs and projects that enable the development of competencies and capabilities in these two areas. The Kingdom holds the position of Vice-Chairman of the (COMCEC). The COMCEC also holds its sessions annually in Istanbul, Türkiye to deal with issues related to improving economic and trade cooperation among member states.

Objectives:

Ensuring full coordination of the activities of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation related to economic and commercial cooperation among the member states.
Building a common understanding, approximating the policies adopted by the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in line with the vision and principles of the strategy, studying all possible means to enhance economic and trade cooperation among the member states.

For more information, visit: www.comcec.org

Brief:

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an international organization concerned with setting international trade laws and facilitating trade among member states to conclude trade agreements, reduce non-tariff barriers and procedures, and settle trade disputes, to ensure the flow of trade. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and includes 164 member states. They represent 98% of the volume of trade in the world, as it was established in 1995 AD,the Kingdom joined on 11/11/2005 AD, Which is considered as a historic step in the course of the Saudi economy.

Objectives:

Forum for negotiations among member states to liberalize trade.
Creating a strong and prosperous international trading system that contributes to global economic growth.
Manage trade agreements, reduce barriers to international trade, and ensure equal opportunities within a legal and institutional framework for the implementation and monitoring of these agreements.
Find a procedure for settling commercial disputes between member states.
Increase access to world markets through liberalization of trade in goods and services.
Provide procedures to protect local markets from harmful practices and market dumping.
Predictability of trade policies and transparency through submission of notifications by countries.
Facilitate trade among member countries.
Cooperation with major international economic organizations
Help developing and least developed countries to benefit from the international trading system.

For more information, visit: www.wto.org

Brief:

It is the main international forum for economic cooperation, bringing together leaders from all continents and representing developed and developing countries. Collectively, the member states of the Group of Twenty represent about 80% of the world's economic output, two thirds of the world's population, and three quarters of the volume of global trade. Representatives of the countries of the group meet to discuss financial and social and economic issues.

The G20 was established in 1999, when it was convened at the level of finance ministers and central bank governors for high-level discussions on economic and financial issues. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the group was upgraded to include leaders of member states. Where the first summit of the leaders of the Group of Twenty was held in Washington in November 2008. As a result, the G20 agenda has been expanded beyond economic and financial issues to include social, economic and development issues.

Objectives:

The G20 member states rotate the presidency annually. The presidency has a leading role in setting the agenda and arranging the Leaders’ Summit, which attended by the heads of state and government of the G20. Leaders at each summit issue a declaration or statement based on discussing policies in meetings held throughout the year. The presidency also hosts several meetings in the period leading up to the holding of the summit will be attended by ministers, senior government officials, and representatives of civil society.

The G-20 discusses financial, economic and social issues through 3 main tracks:

Finance Track : The meetings of finance ministers, central bank governors and their deputies at the level of the Group of Twenty, which focuses on the issues of fiscal and monetary policy, and the financial track including a number of working groups related to discussions of global financial, economic and monetary issues and the response to crises in this framework.
Sherpa Track : Meetings of ministers and senior officials. These meetings focus on social and economic issues such as energy, health, trade and tourism. The Sherpa track includes a number of working groups related to non-financial issues, including the Trade and Investment Working Group, which began during China's presidency of the G20 in 2016. In addition, issues related to trade discussed since the Washington Summit in 2008, and the level of discussion raised to a ministerial level in Mexico 2012. Within the framework of the Sherpa track Trade and Investment Working Group: the discussions focus on exchange of knowledge and experiences in the field of trade and investment policies, to deal with the challenges that face international trade and investment. In addition , collective initiatives developed in coordination with all members and the support of international organizations.
Engagement groups: working groups that represent the civil society. Most notably: Women, Entrepreneurship, and Thinking Tank. The objective of these meetings is to develop non-binding recommendations and policies that are submitted to the leaders of the Group of Twenty for consideration.

For more information, visit: www.g20.org

Brief:

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is part of the United Nations Secretariat, which deals with issues of trade, investment and international development, The UNCTAD seeks to help developing countries integrate into the global economy, by developing policies, improving the investment climate, and encouraging dialogue between the various parties involved. Where developing countries sought to establish an international framework through which international trade issues and related problems discussed, The conference held for the first time in Geneva in 1964 AD, which considered today the main headquarters of the conference, The UNCATD consists of 195 members who meet every four years on the Ministerial level to discuss major global economic issues, and define a work program for the institution during the four years following the conference.

Objectives:

The conference works to be a think tank on development issues on development issues in the world through the completion of an important number of research and annual international reports related to development, public policy analysis, tracking foreign direct investments, and the activity of multinational companies.
The main objective of the UNCTAD conference is to formulate policies on all aspects of development including trade, investment, aid, transport, finance and technology.
Maximize trade, investment and development opportunities for developing countries and assist them in their efforts to integrate into the global economy equally, and provide several technical support programs to help developing and least developed countries benefit from their participation in global trade.

For more information, visit: unctad.org

Brief:

The International Trade Center is the only fully involved development agency to support the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the mission of the Center is to enable small and medium-sized businesses in developing economies to become more competitive and connect them to markets International trade and investment, thus promoting opportunities to increase income and create jobs, especially for women, youth and poor communities. ITC is also a multilateral agency with a joint mandate with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN) through the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The International Trade Center was established in 1964. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland. About 300 employees from more than 80 nationalities work in the center.

Objectives:

Increasing the competitiveness of the private sector (Small and Medium Enterprises) through capacity building for export.
Knowledge contribution to reduce direct and indirect business transaction costs.
Deepening Economic Integration Through Trade Facilitation Measures
Providing market analysis tools and contributing solutions and technical assistance to facilitate trade.
Training and activating national capacities through participating in the issuance of research reports on sectors and facilitating the access of small and medium-sized companies to global value chains.

For more information, visit: www.intracen.org

Brief:

The World Bank is classified as an international financial institution responsible for financing low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing major development projects as well as promoting and protecting global investment, as well as providing policy advice and technical assistance to governments. The bank consists of five main institutions, which are as follows:

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
International Development Association
International Finance Corporation
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

The World Bank Group (WBG) was founded in 1944. It is headquartered in Washington, USA. More than 10,000 employees work in the group in more than 120 headquarters around the world.

Objectives:

The World Bank's mandate is focused on financing, providing policy advice, and providing technical assistance to governments.
Focus on strengthening the private sector in developing countries, training and capacity building.

For more information, visit: www.albankaldawli.org

About the Gulf Negotiating Team

The team is composed of: the general coordinator, the head of the negotiating team for each of the GCC countries, or his representative in case he cannot participate, and the general coordinator is appointed by the Gulf Ministerial Council

Tasks of the Gulf negotiating team

Negotiating with countries and economic groups, in accordance with the relevant decisions of the Supreme Council.
Suggesting priorities for negotiations with countries and economic groups.
Studying draft agreements submitted to the GCC states and determining appropriate negotiating positions.
Determining the necessary studies before initiating any negotiations with countries and economic groups.
Developing a work plan associated with a specific timetable for the ongoing negotiations with countries and economic groups.

The tasks of the Gulf negotiating teams

Forming negotiating teams according to the countries or groups that are being negotiated with, in a way that contributes to holding and accelerating rounds of negotiations based on a proposal from the general coordinator or any of the heads of the negotiating teams for each country.
Composing of specialized representatives from the GCC countries and the General Secretariat.
Consulting with the heads of the negotiating teams in the GCC states by General Coordinator to select the heads of the formed negotiating teams.
Determining the necessary studies before initiating any negotiations with countries and economic groups.
Forming suitable working groups, which will contribute to accelerating negotiations.

Functions of the Saudi Negotiating Team Ecosystem:

Board of Directors of the General Authority of Foreign Trade:

Approve GAFT's general negotiation policies and follow up on their implementation
Approve the negotiating ceiling of the Saudi negotiating team.
Initial approval of draft FTAs and multilateral negotiations.
Review KSA's foreign trade strategy towards the current situation and developments in international trade and submit its recommendations to his highness for approval.
Oversee the implementation of the tasks and requirements of KSA's accession to the World Trade Organization.
Oversee the work of the Saudi negotiating team and providing it with the required support
Submit recommendations to his highness to approve the Kingdom's accession to economic groups and any trade-related trade agreements or initiatives that have obligations for the Kingdom.

Saudi Negotiating Team:

Consider the topics submitted to the negotiating team regarding the negotiating positions of the Kingdom in negotiations, initiatives, and proposals in the WTO and free trade agreements for approval or submission.
Submit the necessary reports related to the commercial negotiations of the Board of Directors of the General Authority of Foreign Trade.
Supervise and follow up on the progress of trade negotiations to ensure their compatibility with the Kingdom's trade objectives and policies, and guidance on the suitability of coordinating negotiating positions with countries with similar or similar trends in international trade.
Review the technical teams' recommendations regarding the proposed procedures to ensure that the Kingdom or its trading partners implement their obligations for approval or submission as required.
Follow up on the issues of settling international commercial disputes and take the necessary measures to submit them to the General Authority of Foreign Trade.
Review reports, initiatives, and topics submitted by technical teams and take the necessary action.
Approve the addition or amendment of the role and functions of negotiation technical teams.

Saudi Negotiating Technical Teams:

Prepare KSA's negotiating positions and insights in negotiations, initiatives and proposals at the level of WTO and free trade agreements and submit the necessary reports to the Saudi negotiating team in this regard.
Participate in trade negotiations to include the Kingdom's negotiating positions, and coordinate with countries of identical or similar trends in international trade.
Submit recommendations on proposed actions to ensure that the Kingdom or its trading partners implement their obligations under international trade agreements.
Coordinate between the different entities in the Kingdom regarding the information and insights needs of the various entities to prepare the Kingdom's trade negotiation positions.
Provide insights on the suitability of coordinating the negotiation positions and trade policies of the Kingdom with countries of identical or similar trends in international trade.
Propose an addition or amendment to the role and functions of negotiation technical teams and submit them to the Saudi negotiating team for study and approval.

Saudi Negotiating Teams

Negotiating technical team for goods

Team Topics

Various commodity topics including:

Agricultural goods (AG)
Nonagricultural market access products (NAMA)

Team members:

The Negotiating Technical Team for Goods is composed of representatives of entities related to national industries and local agriculture.

Negotiating Technical Team for Trade in Services

Team Topics:

It includes all the topics of trade in services, including WTO, other international organizations, and free trade agreements.

Team members:

The Technical Negotiating Team for Services shall be composed of representatives of the entities concerned with the trade in services.

Negotiation technical team for investment

Team Topics:

This includes all investment topics, including WTO, other international organizations, and free trade agreements.

Team members:

The Investment Negotiating Technical Team is composed of representatives of entities related to investment topics.

Negotiating Technical Team for General Texts and Provisions

Team Topics:

Topics include:

General Provisions of Free Trade Agreements.
Trade Remedies (under Trade Remedies Deputyship of the General Authority of Foreign Trade)
Dispute resolution

Team members:

The Technical Negotiating Team for General Texts and Provisions is composed of representatives of entities related to commercial agreements and laws.

Negotiating technical team for e-commerce

Team Topics:

The negotiating technical team for e-commerce includes all topics related to e-commerce, including those related to the World Trade Organization, other international organizations and free trade agreements.