Qatari employees of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Secretariat and guests pictured with the outgoing GCC Secretary General, HE Abdulrahman bin Hamad al-Atiyyah, at  a farewell function hosted by the staff at the GCC headquarters in Riyadh. Appreciating this gesture, al-Atiyyah said: “This occasion is not to say goodbye. It is an expression of the mutual affinity and rapport that we have had amongst us over the years of my service here.” GCC’s Assistant Secretary General for Security Affairs, Haza bin Mubarak al-Hajiri also attended the function
Evolving the mechanism for closer co-operation among GCC countries in a wide range of activities including defence, health, education, common market, unified currency and trade  was the greatest achievement of his nine-year tenure as the Council Secretary General, HE Abdulrahman bin Hamad al-Attiyah has said.
Facilitating travel for the GCC citizens on the basis of ID cards and availing employment and business opportunities within the GCC countries are also among his notable achievements, he said.
Effective from tomorrow, Dr. Abdul Lateef bin Rashed al-Zayyani will take over as the new GCC Secretary General.
Referring to his tenure as Secretary General, al-Attiyah said in a message before stepping down from office that he took over from his predecessor Jamil ibn Ibrahim al-Hujailan at a time when the region witnessed political and economic turbulence. He worked to the best of his ability to sail through rough waters and has succeeded in strengthening mutual understanding and harmony that leads to longtime co-operation between the GCC countries. The hopes and aspirations of the people in the Gulf have always been foremost in his mind and he has spared no effort in making many dreams come true.
 
HE al-Atiyyah has been the recipient of the Federal Sash of Honour from Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the UAE President, and the Civilian Sash of Honour of Oman from Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed.
The new Secretary General, Dr. al-Zayyani, is the first incumbent with a military background. A product of Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK, he has served in important positions in the Bahraini armed forces.