The 49th Executive Board Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) was held on 16-17 September 2024 in Doha, Qatar, in hybrid format, bringing together the representatives from all GECF Member Countries, namely, Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela, and the 5 of 8 Observers – Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Mozambique, and Senegal.
The meeting was presided by HE Sheikh Dr. Mishal bin Jabor Al-Thani, Chairperson of the GECF Executive Board for the year 2024.
HE Eng. Mohamed Hamel, Secretary General of the GECF, in his welcoming remarks made a brief overview of the topics to be considered at the meeting and encouraged the participants for productive deliberations and fruitful outcomes of the discussions.
The agenda of the meeting covered a wide range of issues, including budgetary and administrative matters, proposed Program of Work for 2025, latest updates on key publications complemented by the relevant reports and presentations on the natural gas related issues, i.e. short term gas market presentation, the 9th edition of the Global Gas Outlook 2050, the 8th edition of the Annual Statistical Bulletin, updates on research and development projects, as well as the status of preparations of the Secretariat for the COP29.
Particular attention was given with praise to the report presented by the representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Host Country of the upcoming 26th GECF Ministerial Meeting to be held in Tehran on 29 October 2024.