Eng. Basem bin Yaqoub Al-Hamr, Minister of Housing, participated in the work of the eighteenth meeting of ministers concerned with housing affairs in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which was held this morning - Monday - via “remote” communication technology headed by the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates, Eng. Suhail bin Muhammad Al Mazrouei, Chairman The current session, with the participation of the Secretary General of the Cooperation Council, Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf.
During the meeting, Engineer Al-Hamr stressed that the periodic meeting of the ministers concerned with housing affairs in the countries of the Cooperation Council is gaining exceptional importance this year, due to its coincidence with the emerging challenges imposed by the Corona pandemic, stressing that the current circumstances require the development of short and long-term plans aimed at preserving the stability of this vital sector.
The Minister of Housing also indicated the need to continue following up on the decisions made in the joint executive program related to the joint housing work strategy, implementing the initiatives and projects included in that strategy, and working to overcome the challenges related to that, to ensure the success of the efforts made in providing a joint Gulf housing system.
The Minister praised the advanced steps taken by the Council so far in implementing the decisions issued by it in the previous sessions, which had a great impact on enriching housing plans and programs in the GCC countries in many axes, especially those related to partnership files with the private sector, which the GCC countries have given priority. Great in its plans, as well as the formation of a unified Gulf vision regarding housing issues that are raised in regional and international forums, in addition to the witnessed results achieved by conferences and workshops specialized in the field of housing, and their contribution to the circulation of experiences and increasing knowledge for engineers and those concerned with the housing sector in the GCC countries Gulf.
On the other hand, the Minister of Housing expressed the Kingdom of Bahrain's welcome to host the work of the nineteenth session of the Council meetings next year, and its aspiration to meet the brothers in the member states in the event of the end of the health conditions imposed by the Corona pandemic, stressing that these meetings and meetings contribute effectively to support the Gulf housing process Common.
The meeting of the ministers concerned with housing affairs in the GCC countries discussed a number of topics on the agenda, foremost of which is the issue of the implications of the Corona pandemic, housing efforts and its future plans to confront it in the GCC countries, and it was agreed on the report prepared by the Council’s General Secretariat in this regard.
The Council also reviewed the efforts of the member states and the measures taken regarding the implementation of the initiatives and projects included in the joint housing work strategy. The council also discussed the memorandum of the General Secretariat on the housing information bases, where it was emphasized that the member states provide data related to housing, so that they are digital statistical data. The statistical center of the Cooperation Council countries is provided with them periodically.
In a related context, the Council approved the winning researches for the first three places in the Cooperation Council Award in the field of housing, and discussed the issue of the Owners Association, and the Council mandated the General Secretariat to follow up the activation of the unified general system for real estate owners by member states.
Regarding the memorandum of the General Secretariat related to the subject of housing finance, the Council called on the member states to provide the General Secretariat with its distinguished experiences to involve the private sector in housing finance, provided that a booklet is prepared that collects the experiences of the GCC countries in providing housing financing solutions.
