JEDDAH: The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), H.E. Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha, delivered a speech on the occasion of the 7th Annual Coordination Meeting of OIC Institutions (ACMOI), held in Jeddah on 17-18 January 2024.
In his opening speech, the Secretary-General expressed his satisfaction with the progress achieved by ACMOI since its establishment in 2015, as a mechanism to ensure the effective implementation of OIC decisions and resolutions in the political, Science and Technology, economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian fields.
He also underlined the priority given by the OIC to the Palestinian cause, which is at the heart of its agenda, and denounced the continuing brutal Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip; an aggression that has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties and millions of displaced persons, and caused enormous destruction, damage and human suffering. He called for collective action and effective measures to be taken by OIC institutions in order to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people and address the humanitarian consequences they are suffering from, particularly in the Gaza Strip. He also highlighted the common challenges facing the Islamic world, such as Islamophobia, food insecurity, education, and technology issues as major priorities of the OIC, as stipulated by the various CFM resolutions.
The Secretary-General also praised the coordination efforts between the various OIC institutions, which have eased the implementation of OIC resolutions on various issues of common interest to the Islamic world. He congratulated the OIC family on the launch of three new institutions, namely the OIC Labour Centre, the Islamic Forum of Halal Accreditation Bodies, and King Faisal University in Chad, which will strengthen OIC capacity and cooperation in the fields of labor, halal products development and education.
At the end of his speech, the Secretary-General paid warm tribute to the outgoing Assistant Secretary-General in charge of Science and Technology, Ambassador Askar Mussinov, who is stepping down after a fruitful tenure. He expressed his gratitude and appreciation for Ambassador Mussinov’s efforts and his contributions to the development and promotion of scientific and technological cooperation among OIC Member States.