As a central regional service that deals with unified standards for different products, along with issuing conformity The UAE hosted the 5th meeting of the Board of Directors of GSO on May 15, 2006, headed by UAE Minister of State for Financial & Industrial Affairs, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Khalfan bin Khirbash, with the participation of the GCC Ministers of Finance & Industry.
 
H.E. Dr. Khirbash gave the opening address where he pointed the important role of GSO, as a central regional service that deals with unified standards for different products, along with issuing conformity and quality production systems based on the international accreditation's. Thus, helps in harmonizing with the requirements of the WTO and serves the related Gulf agreements; such as the GCC Custom Union Agreement, the mutual recognition of conformity certificates, and the outflow of goods and products and services among the GCC States.
 
The GSO Secretary General, H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad, gave a presentation on GSO's achievements. The Board went through a manifesto of 63 standards prepared to be accredited as unified Gulf standards, along with what the Gulf technical committees include in their 2006 plans that encompass preparing 750 Gulf standard projects, giving the priority to adopting international standards; all that within the Gulf plan to prepare 200 unified standards until the year 2008. Bearing in mind that ESMA is handling the preparation of around 32% of these Gulf standards.
 
The meeting issued a number of decisions including the adoption of 63 unified Gulf standards; encompassing 21 standards in the field of food products related to milk, oil and fish; 21 standards in the field of petroleum, chemical, spinning, and textile products; 16 standards in the field of mechanical products related to cars and their tyres; and 5 standards for metrology, construction and building products. The meeting also adopted the technical working guide for the Gulf measurements standards based on the international evidence issued by ISO in Geneva. The adoption of the new GSO logo; the inauguration of the new website based on using portals, and which encompasses the standards conformity information system, the Gulf standards information system, training programs and seminar management system and meetings and technical committees information system.