According to Iran’s Department of OPEC and Energy Assemblies Affairs at the Ministry of Petroleum, the 27th Ministerial Meeting of the GECF will be held on October 23 in Doha. On this occasion, it is worth revisiting the forum’s origins, how gas-exporting nations succeeded in building a joint platform to coordinate the market, and the structure and global role of this organization.

Origins of the idea

The concept of establishing an intergovernmental body of major natural gas producers and exporters first emerged in Iran’s Ministry of Petroleum in the late 1990s. The goal was to promote coordination and cooperation among gas-rich countries to strengthen the role of this energy carrier in global markets.

In line with that vision, the first meeting of senior experts from gas-exporting nations was held in March, 2001, followed by the first ministerial meeting in May of the same year in Tehran. These gatherings, held annually in different countries until 2008, focused primarily on exchanging experiences.

However, the idea of creating an organization similar to OPEC gained new momentum after the Supreme Leader of Iran proposed the formation of an “OPEC for gas” during a meeting with Igor Ivanov, then secretary of Russia’s Security Council, in January, 2007.

Following that proposal, Russia—with support from Qatar’s emir—accelerated the process of formalizing the forum. Finally, at the seventh ministerial meeting in Moscow on December 23, 2008, the Statute of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum was approved.

 Membership

Today, the GECF has 12 full members—Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela—and eight observer countries: Angola, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Peru, and Senegal.

Together, the full and observer members hold more than 70 percent of the world’s proven natural gas reserves, account for 39 percent of global production, 40 percent of gas exports, and 51 percent of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.

 Organizational structure

The GECF operates through three main governing bodies: the Ministerial Meeting, the Executive Board, and the Secretariat.

Ministerial meeting:

This is the highest decision-making body of the forum and meets annually. Extraordinary sessions may be convened at the request of member countries or the secretary-general, typically prior to a GECF summit. Since its establishment, 26 ministerial meetings have been held, the most recent in Tehran in 2024.

Executive board:

Composed of representatives of member countries, the board oversees the forum’s management and implementation of decisions made by the Ministerial Meeting. It also supervises and approves all Secretariat activities. Since inception, the Executive Board has held 52 meetings.

Secretariat:

Headquartered in Doha, the Secretariat handles administrative and coordination duties. The current Secretary-General, Mohamed Hamel of Algeria, has served since 2022. Previous secretary-generals were from Russia, Iran, and Russia respectively in the first three terms.

The next secretary-general will be elected from among candidates from Iran, Russia, Egypt, Nigeria, and Libya during the 27th Ministerial Meeting on October 22, 2025.

 Specialized bodies

The GECF also includes three specialized entities: the Technical and Economic Council, the Gas Research Institute, and the Statistical Task Force.

Technical and Economic Council:

Composed of representatives from member countries, this council meets twice a year at the Secretariat in Doha. Its discussions cover gas market trends, economic and technological developments, and the strategic direction of GECF research.

Gas Research Institute:

The newest specialized body of the forum, the institute is based in Algeria. It was established to promote technical cooperation, technology transfer, and knowledge sharing among member states.

Statistical Task Force:

This body oversees the collection and harmonization of statistical data submitted by member countries. It meets annually in Doha with national statistical representatives.

 GECF summits and global role

In addition to these activities, the GECF holds a Summit of Heads of State and Government every two years to review and approve the forum’s strategic policies and cooperation goals. The final declarations of these summits serve as the forum’s highest-level guiding documents.

So far, seven summits have been held—the most recent in March, 2024, in Algeria. The next is scheduled for October 2026 in Moscow.

Over more than two decades, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum has evolved from an Iranian initiative into a global intergovernmental organization with a strategic role in ensuring energy security. The upcoming Doha meeting will not only select the next secretary-general but also shape the direction of cooperation among gas-producing nations during the energy transition era.