Annual Review 2022: ICRC Activities in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

The ICRC in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries works to promote and ensure respect for the rules of war and facilitates the ICRC's operations worldwide through dialogue with government, civil society, and military and diplomatic officials. It works in places of detention, helps determine what happened to missing people, reunites families separated by armed conflict and migration, and works closely with the National Red Crescent Societies of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and with other partner organizations.

The ICRC's presence in the GCC countries was established in Kuwait during the 1990 –1991 Gulf War with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In July 2022 and March 2023, the ICRC signed a country host agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the UAE and Qatar respectively. The ICRC also maintains a presence in Oman since 2015 and Saudi Arabia since 2017, with activities across all six GCC countries. This document provides an overview of the ICRC's activities in the region during 2022 and its key achievements