Latest news with #ArabCountries
Reuters
4 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
French official tells paper Arab countries will condemn Hamas, trying to get Palestinian statehood recognized
PARIS, July 26 - Arab countries will for the first time condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament early next week at a United Nations ministerial event in New York, a move meant to lure more European countries to recognize Palestinian statehood, France's foreign minister said on Saturday. In an exclusive interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said the move was part of a long-planned initiative between France and Saudi Arabia. "For the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament, which will seal its definitive isolation. European countries will in turn confirm their intention to recognize the State of Palestine. Half of European countries have done so, all others are considering it," Barrot told the JDD. "The British Prime Minister has stated his intention to do so. Germany is considering it at a later stage. We will launch an appeal in New York for other countries to join us in order to set in motion an even more ambitious and demanding process that will culminate on September 21," Barrot added. On Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would formally recognize the state of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly on September 21, drawing condemnation from the U.S. and Israel. Earlier on Saturday Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni called it counterproductive to recognise a Palestinian state before it is established. On Friday a German government spokesperson said there were no plans to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term. At the upcoming United Nations event on Monday and Tuesday, France and Saudi Arabia plan to lay out a proposed post-war roadmap leading to a two-state solution covering security, reconstruction and governance, which will be compatible with the Abraham Accords negotiated by U.S. President Trump, Barrot said. The French minister added that in coming weeks the European Commission would take a tougher stance on Israel and demand a stop on building of any new settlement projects in the West Bank, and also an end to militarized policing of humanitarian aid distribution. Barrot also called on fellow European countries to demand a removal of the financial blockade on the Palestinian authority so it can receive 2 billion euros he said it is owed.
Zawya
21-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
GCC workforce now totals 31.8mln
The total labour force in GCC countries reached 31.8 million, representing 54.2 percent of the total population, according to data issued by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat). Male workers accounted for 78.7 percent, while females made up 17.6 percent, said a report by Wam news agency that quoted the statistics. The number of working citizens in the GCC stood at 5.6 million, constituting 23.4 percent of the total labour force, with 60 percent males and 40 percent females. GCC-Stat's data also showed a 600,000 increase in the number of working women in the region since 2011. The data indicated that the government sector is still the largest employer of Gulf workers, with a wide scope for localisation in the private sector. The percentage of employed citizens working in the public sector reached 83.5 percent compared to 14.2 percent in the private sector. Statistics also revealed that GCC countries' citizens work mainly in the services sector, particularly in public administration activities. GCC countries have introduced policies to localise the workforce, such as the GCC Common Market and the Comprehensive Development Strategy, which aim to address imbalances in population structure, workforce distribution, and industrial development. These policies aim to increase the national workforce's contribution to the industrial sector. Additionally, the population strategy seeks to enhance the role of women in development, balance population and workforce structures, and improve national workforce training programmes. All GCC countries give priority to young workers, promote economic diversification efforts and move towards creating green and environmentally friendly jobs. Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
21-07-2025
- Health
- Zawya
GCC-Stat: 262.7mln tons of waste collected, 192.0mln tons treated across GCC countries
MUSCAT: The latest data released by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) indicate that the total waste collected in the GCC countries by the end of 2023 is estimated at approximately 262.7 million tons, marking an increase of 153.7% compared to the figures recorded in 2019. Meanwhile, the total waste treated reached 192.0 million tons, which reflects a 128.5% increase. The per capita share of household waste in the GCC countries decreased by 17.4%, reaching 1.4 kilograms per person per day. Statistics indicate that 99.2% of the collected waste in the GCC countries was non-hazardous, while 95.8% of the hazardous waste was exported from the GCC to other countries for treatment. The treatment methods primarily involved recycling or recovering metals and metallic compounds from the waste. The GCC countries succeeded in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12, related to the recycling and reuse of hazardous waste, reaching a rate of 30% in 2023. The cumulative number of national reports submitted by the GCC Countries under the Basel Convention on the Control of Hazardous Wastes reached 87 national reports. The amount of hazardous waste collected from the healthcare sector in GCC countries after the COVID-19 pandemic decreased by 11.4% in 2023 compared to 2022. Meanwhile, the GCC countries have made significant strides in developing their medical waste treatment infrastructure. In 2023, the total number of incineration facilities for medical waste reached 23 sites, marking an increase of 27.8% compared to the figures recorded in 2022. Additionally, the design capacity of medical waste incineration sites increased by 123.9% during the same period, reaching 207.5 thousand metric tons. The amount of hazardous waste collected from the industrial sector increased by 23.8% in 2023 compared to the figures logged in 2022, following the COVID-19 pandemic. As for municipal waste, the amount of household waste collected in the GCC has decreased over the past three years after peaking in 2020 at 35.5 million tons. By the end of 2023, the collected household waste amounted to approximately 30.8 million tons. The amount of agricultural waste collected in the GCC Countries increased by 44% in 2023, reaching 2.5 million tons, compared to 2.0 million tons in 2022 and 1.7 million tons in 2019. The amount of municipal waste collected from other economic activities in the GCC Countries also increased from 11.9 million tons in 2019 to 14.3 million tons in 2023. It is worth noting that the Waste Management Market Analysis Study in the GCC Countries (2019–2023), published by Mordor Intelligence, estimates the waste management market size in the GCC to be approximately USD 68.3 billion in 2025. It is projected to reach USD 97.4 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% during the period 2025 to 2030.
Arabian Business
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Arabian Business
GCC sees 40% surge in rainfall and soaring temperatures amid solar energy boom
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries experienced a dramatic 39.6 per cent surge in rainfall in 2023, according to new data from the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat). Rainfall levels rose to 97.2mm last year, up from 69.7mm in 2022 — although still below the long-term average of 109.6mm recorded between 1980 and 2009. The sharp rise in precipitation coincided with extreme heat, as the region recorded its highest average temperature in recent years. GCC rain and heat levels rising The average maximum temperature hit 48.2°C in 2023, compared to 46.8°C in 2022, while minimum temperatures also climbed, rising from 5°C to 9.5°C. The number of dams collecting surface water increased modestly to 861 in 2023, up from 854 the year prior. In parallel, climate monitoring capacity has nearly doubled over the past decade, with 297 monitoring stations in place by 2023, compared to just 161 in 2013. The region's abundant solar resources are also being put to increasing use. Average daily solar radiation across the GCC ranges from 5.6 to 6.4 W/m², making the region ideally suited for solar power generation. Electricity production from solar energy has skyrocketed in the past decade — rising from just 0.13 thousand gigawatt-hours in 2013 to 10.8 thousand gigawatt-hours in 2022. That marks an annual growth rate of 81.1 per cent in solar power generation, while the design capacity of solar plants grew by 94.6 per cent annually over the same period. These figures signal a rapid shift toward renewable energy adoption, as GCC countries work to diversify their energy mix and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. All GCC nations have now implemented national strategies for disaster risk reduction, aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.
Zawya
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Zawya
GCC-Stat reports 39.6% surge in rainfall across GCC countries, with average temperatures reaching 48.2°C
MUSCAT: The latest data released by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) indicated that the rainfall rates in the GCC countries increased by 39.6% in 2023, reaching 97.2 mm, compared to 69.7 mm in 2022. However, they remained below the long-term average of 109.6 mm recorded for the period from 198 to 2009. The data showed that the number of dams collecting surface water from rainfall in GCC countries increased in 2023 to 861 dams, compared to 854 dams in 2022. On the other hand, the data revealed that temperatures in 2023 recorded their highest average value at 48.2 degrees Celsius, compared to 46.8 degrees Celsius in 2022, with the minimum averages rising significantly. The average minimum temperature reached 9.5 degrees in 2023, compared to 5 degrees in 2022. The GCC countries enjoy abundant solar resources, with average daily solar radiation ranging from 5.6 to 6.4 W/m2 between 1999 and 2018. This highlights the potential of solar energy as a clean, renewable energy source for electricity generation, especially during the hot summer months. In this context, electricity production from solar energy in the GCC countries witnessed a remarkable leap from 0.13 thousand gigawatt-hours in 2013 to 10.8 thousand gigawatt-hours in 2022, with an annual growth rate of 81.1%. The design capacity of solar plants also increased at an average annual rate of 94.6% over the past decade. The number of climate monitoring stations in the GCC increased to 297 stations in 2023, compared to 161 stations in 2013. All GCC countries also have national strategies for disaster risk reduction, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
