Foreign Ministers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened today at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on the sidelines of the 78th General Assembly session.
The annual coordination meeting was chaired by Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, who is also the current president of the 49th session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers.
Prominent figures addressing the inaugural session included the OIC Secretary-General, Hussein Ibrahim Taha; Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and President of the Islamic Summit; and Khaled Khairi, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific at the United Nations, representing the UN’s Secretary-General.
In his remarks, the OIC’s Secretary-General outlined the political, security, and developmental challenges facing the OIC region. Notably, he emphasized the recurring incidents of desecration and burning of copies of the Holy Quran in several European countries – acts that manifest religious hatred and violate international law.
He also highlighted ongoing issues in Palestine, Jammu and Kashmir, Afghanistan, the Sahel region, Lake Chad basin, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, non-member Muslim countries, and the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
He called for intensified efforts and enhanced cooperation and solidarity to address these challenges.
Furthermore, the Secretary-General reviewed the OIC’s significant activities in humanitarian, social, economic, and legal fields included in the organization’s agenda.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an international organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states, making it the second-largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations. The OIC aims to safeguard the interest and ensure the progress and well-being of Muslims globally.
Its meetings, often held alongside significant global events like the UN General Assembly, address both global and Islamic-centric issues, seeking solutions through intra-Islamic cooperation and international dialogue.
