Gulf Cooperation Council officials proposed plans on 25 October 2026 to coordinate regional work on artificial intelligence, data centres, industrial strategy and joint investment, according to QNA. The proposals were presented in Doha during the ninth World Investment Forum 2026, hosted by Qatar with United Nations Trade and Development.
Bahrain's Minister of Industry and Commerce, Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, told the session that Bahrain has selected 12 industrial sectors to attract investment based on market demand. UAE official Fahad Al Gergawi said the UAE's foreign trade reached about AED 3.8 trillion (USD 1.1 trillion), with trade under its partnership agreements begun in 2022 reaching around AED 175 billion, or 21 percent of non-oil trade. Participating officials also proposed creating a regional export and logistics corridor with the GCC General Secretariat, national investment authorities and UNCTAD to connect spare Gulf production capacity, including in food security, with transport networks and export gateways.