Riyadh: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi launched the Radiological Data Exchange Platform Project (GCC-RDEP) today, in collaboration with the GCC Emergency Management Centre, the Nuclear Safety Authority, and the Joint Research Centre of the European Union (EU).

The launch took place during the concluding meeting at the GCC General Secretariat headquarters in Riyadh, in the presence of EU Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Christophe Farnaud.

According to a press release issued by the GCC General Secretariate today, Albudaiwi stated that the establishment of the Operations Room at the GCC Emergency Management Centre, along with the integration of various early warning systems across the GCC states, is based on the directives of the GCC ministers of interior and defense. He noted that this reflects the council’s commitment to regional stability and security, the cohesion of its systems, and their enhancement through advanced equipment and technologies to swiftly predict and address potential emergencies.

“We are now witnessing the results of ongoing and exceptional efforts through the GCC-RDEP project,” he said. “This project aims to mitigate the effects of radiological and nuclear disasters in the region by exchanging radiological data from monitoring systems in the GCC states and the European Union’s Joint Research Centre.

This allows for the early detection of disasters in their formative stages, enables analysis through advanced simulation systems, and provides technical recommendations to decision-makers in the GCC for appropriate action.”

The release added that Albudaiwi also praised the strong relations between the GCC and the EU at all levels, referring to the first EU-GCC Summit held in Brussels in October 2024 and its outcomes, including areas of joint cooperation such as technical collaboration and mitigating the effects of radiological and nuclear disasters.