European Union (EU) – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders must ensure transparency in people’s participation in public affairs

On the occasion of the first summit between leaders of the European Union (EU) and the six Arab states on and adjacent to the Arabian Peninsula, the Gulf Cooperation Council, which takes place on 16 October 2024 in Brussels, Belgium, Salam for Democracy and Human Rights (SALAM DHR) and Rights Realization Centre (RRC) urge EU leaders to call openly on their counterparts to ensure that GCC governments promote and protect their peoples’ right to participate in public affairs.

In 2024, three GCC states have enacted measures that have or can reduce the transparent participation by the people in the conduct of public affairs. In May 2024, the Government of Kuwait suspended its National Assembly for a period of up to four years. On 15 October 2024, the Government of Qatar announced that it would hold a referendum on constitutional amendments that would suppress elections: two-thirds of the members of Qatar’s Shura Council, which has limited, advisory powers, are elected. On 16 October, the Government of Bahrain announced that it would halt the live broadcast of its House of Representatives (Majlis al-Shura, or HoR) but show it two hours after its broadcast. They likewise limited the presence of photographers to the starting 10 minutes of each HoR session.