The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen, commended the outcome of the 46th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, held in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi. He paid tribute to the UAE for making this event a success.
The Secretary General also expressed appreciation for the role played by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in advancing the work and activities of the OIC. “Not only does the Organization have its seat in Saudi Arabia, but it also receives significant support from it, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (may Allah protect them),” said Dr. Al-Othaimen.
He also placed on record his gratitude to the Member States for their involvement and input throughout the Council, noting that the CFM’s 46th session announced that the Organization’s Golden Jubilee would be commemorated in 2019.
The Secretary General said this year’s session, held on the theme “50 years of Islamic cooperation – a roadmap for progress and development”, ended with the adoption by consensus of the resolutions placed on its agenda, pointing out that the Palestinian issue has the great support of the Muslim world. In this regard, he went on, an IsDB-sponsored endowment Fund for Palestinian Refugees has been established.
Launched with the goal to build a pool of capital to support Palestinian refugees, under the banner of the IsDB, the Fund, Dr Al-Othaimeen explained, will help enhance the financial position of UNRWA, thereby enabling it to deliver sustainable relief, humanitarian, educational and health services to the Palestinian refugees. He added, “Palestine is a fundamental and critical issue for all Muslims.”
Also significant on the Council’s agenda this year were resolutions aimed at promoting women empowerment in the Member States, youth capacity building, initiating an OIC prize for outstanding achievement in promoting the values and principles of the Organization, along with other issues.
The OIC Secretary General stressed that the Member States are working in earnest to curb extremism, bigotry, intolerance and Islamophobia, and keen to spread the true, and moderate message of Islam. An invaluable asset to our Muslim community, the youth need to be saved from succumbing to destructive ideology and drifting away from the true teachings of Islam, he stressed.
Dr. Al-Othaimeen pointed out that the Council of Foreign Ministers also dealt with issues related to Yemen, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Djibouti, Comoros and Central Africa. The Council, he further explained, viewed with deep concern the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, and called for restraint and peaceful resolution of conflicts.