GCC is an intergovernmental organization with membership of the following states: United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and State of Kuwait. 

According to Article 20 of the GCC Economic Agreement which states that member States 'shall develop programs encouraging talented individuals and supporting innovation and invention; cooperate in the field of intellectual property and develop regulations and procedures ensuring the protection of intellectual property rights; and coordinate their relevant policies towards other countries, regional blocs and international and regional organizations', the GCC Secretariat General directs most of its technical cooperation activities to its member States.

This document presents a report on the main technical cooperation activities undertaken by the Secretariat General of the GCC-GCC Patent Office, either alone or in cooperation with other parties, from 1 September 2022 to 1 September 2023 which are relevant to intellectual property issues, following the invitation of the Chair of the WTO Council for TRIPS to provide updated information on such activities.

Technical assistance activities undertaken by the GCC secretariat General or in cooperation with other parties during the above‑mentioned period has been focused on various concrete IP aspects. These activities were conducted in the form of workshops, on-job training, and secondment or through supporting the participation in conferences or in international IP exhibitions. The said activities are listed in the Annex below.