Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 04/03/2007
Jeddah: 04 march 2007 Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am happy to address this opening ceremony of the meeting of OIC Subsidiary Organs, Specialized and Affiliated Institutions on the implementation of the Ten-Year Programme of Action adopted by the Third Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference, held in Makkah-Al-Mukkaramah, in December 2005. The objective of this Programme is to prepare the Muslim Ummah to face the challenges of the 21st Century and address them effectively and collectively. The Islamic world has immense human and material resources which could be used to develop Joint Islamic Action. Therefore, the adoption of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action has been very timely. This Programme has defined the mission and role of the Member States, the OIC General Secretariat, Subsidiary Organs, Specialized and Affiliated Institutions in the process of revitalizing the Islamic Ummah. I wish to underline the need for effective coordination and joint action to ensure the coherence of all activities related to the implementation of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action. In this context, the OIC General Secretariat is ready to play a central role in the implementation of the new vision and objectives of the Islamic Ummah as defined by the Makkah Summit. In this Programme, each member of the OIC family has its mission and I wish to commend the enthusiasm of the OIC institutions in the implementation of the Programme. Last year, we held our first coordination meeting. I believe that we have to exchange views and experiences in the implementation of the Programme on a regular basis and avoid duplication and overlapping. Therefore, such coordination meetings are very important. Indeed many actions adopted by the Makkah Summit, such as the increase of intra OIC trade, the establishment of the OIC Poverty Alleviation Fund, the preparation and implementation of an OIC/IDB/WHO Programme for combating diseases and epidemics in the Member States call for concerted efforts to be implemented. There is also need to ensure coordinated efforts with a view to ensuring the speedy and effective implementation of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action particularly in the domain of science and technology, information and cultural affairs. The agenda of our coordination meeting contains important issues related to the implementation of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action, some of which I would like to underline. The Makkah Summit mandated the COMCEC to promote measures to expand intra OIC trade from 14% in 2005 to 20% by the year 2015. The 22nd COMCEC adopted important decisions and recommendations for the implementation of this mandate. I call on concerned OIC Subsidiary Organs, Specialized and Affiliated Institutions to exert all necessary efforts with a view to ensuring substantial increase in intra OIC trade. Organizing trade and tourism fairs, developing a system of sharing trade information, frequent private sector meetings and upgrading air, road and maritime transport between OIC Member States will effectively contribute to the increase of intra OIC trade. In this context, I welcome the establishment of Bakkah Shipping Company by the OISA and invite the OIC institutions to support this new Company. There is also a need to provide all necessary support to the private sector which should play a pivotal role in the promotion of intra OIC trade. The ICCI could cooperate with other concerned OIC institutions in this domain. I welcome the establishment of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) which will contribute to fostering trade between OIC Member States. I call on the management of this Corporation to strengthen relations with all OIC institutions working for the increase of intra OIC trade, in particular the IDB, the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRTCIC) and the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI). Ladies and Gentlemen, As you know, one of the most important decisions adopted by the Makkah Summit was the establishment of an OIC Fund for Poverty Alleviation. I have personally exerted all necessary efforts to assist in mobilizing needed political and financial support for this Fund. Among the 57 OIC Member States, 18 are in the group of the Least Developed Countries. Even in the more advanced OIC Member States, the proportion of poor people is still high. However, we must admit that eliminating or reducing poverty requires not only financial resources but also good governance, good planning of the national economy and more importantly political will from Member States. Gradual evolution of this Fund is unfolding successfully under the able coordination of IDB, and with the active support of the OIC General Secretariat. I am sure that this OIC Fund will raise the overall image and prestige of the OIC family within the international community to new heights as the issue has deep political dimension as well. The Makkah Summit also mandated the OIC and IDB to coordinate with the World Health Organization and other relevant institutions to draw up a programme for combating diseases and epidemics to be financed through the Special Fund for Poverty Alleviation. I invite the OIC/IDB Coordinating Group to start the preparation of this programme with the WHO. Since assuming office, I have given special priority to combating diseases and epidemics in OIC Member States. We shall continue our endeavours in this domain. Meanwhile, I should emphasize that, in the domain of poverty alleviation as in the programme for eliminating diseases and epidemics, Africa deserves focussed attention. That is why the OIC is giving special attention to the development of Africa. In this context, I visited six African Countries, namely Senegal, The Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in March 2005 and exchanged views with leaders of these countries on ways and means of fostering cooperation between them and OIC institutions. I intend visiting other OIC African Member Countries as soon as possible. I invite OIC institutions to give all necessary support to the Programme for energizing trade and investment in the cotton sector in OIC Member States adopted by the 22nd Session of COMCEC. The implementation of this programme will contribute to the improvement of living conditions in many OIC Member States. I also wish to encourage OIC institutions to support individual Member States’ initiatives for development in Africa such as the programme of Turkey, and to contribute effectively to the implementation of the programme for development and poverty alleviation in Africa adopted by the Makkah Summit. In the domains of Higher Education, Science and Technology, good progress has been made since the Makkah Summit. An informal open-ended Meeting of Ministers of Higher Education at the sideline of the Third Session of the Islamic Conference of the Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research was held in Kuwait City, the State of Kuwait, on 19-21 November 2006. The Ministers of Higher Education delivered on one of the essential items of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action in the domain of higher education, science and technology that deals with improvement and reformation of Higher Education. The Ministers discussed on ways and means to meet the mandated target “to strengthen selected universities in the field of science/engineering, with the objectives of elevating at least 20 Universities within the OIC Region to the rank of the 500 Top Universities” and decided to establish a core group consisting of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Malaysia; the COMSTECH; the IDB; ISESCO; SESRTCIC; and the OIC General Secretariat. The core group was assigned to oversee the preparation of a document containing criteria, procedures and mechanism for selection of the 20 Universities from the OIC region. Taking this opportunity, I welcome the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the four OIC Islamic Universities and I call on OIC institutions to support these universities. I also wish to thank the Government of Malaysia and the Government of Turkey as well as IDB and COMSTECH for their support for the development of science and technology in OIC Member States. I welcome the recent launching of Early Harvest Programme under Vision 1441 on Science and Technology. As you all know, mastering science and technology is a prerequisite for the development of OIC Member States and I am extremely happy that one of our initial successes has been the reinvigoration of the OIC General Secretariat’s Science and Technology Department with a new spirit and enthusiasm. I therefore encourage the OIC institutions to assist Member States in preparing and implementing national plans for the development of science and technology so that they make full use of available resources in this domain. There is a visible need that all concerned OIC institutions namely the General Secretariat, IDB, SESRTCIC, COMSTECH, IRCICA, ISESCO and IUT should cooperate in their projects in the domain of cultural affairs, higher education, science and technology so that we can achieve our objectives in these domains. The Makkah Summit also underlined the importance of developing effective and responsible media in OIC Member States. In this context, as requested by the Summit, action has been taken to reorganize and strengthen the International Islamic News Agency (IINA) and the Islamic States Broadcasting Organization (ISBO). I am happy to inform you that in the last Boards of Directors Meetings of IINA and ISBO held in Riyadh on 27-28 February; very important practical decisions for restructuring and revitalizing of these institutions were taken. We are hopeful that soon we will have a new mechanism to take us to new grounds in implementing our Joint Information Strategy. We are also appreciative that the 8th Session of COMIAC which was held in Dakar, Senegal, in November 2006 also adopted important decisions for revitalizing the COMIAC and H.E. Abdoulaye WADE, President of the Republic of Senegal and Chairman of the COMIAC issued a Decree establishing a National Secretariat for COMIAC. The Government of Senegal also organized, on the sideline of COMIAC, one high level forum which discussed ways and means for ensuring effective implementation of the OIC Ten Year Programme. This was a very valuable contribution for the implementation of this programme. I am pleased to extend my appreciation to President Abdoulaye WADE and to the Government of Senegal for this initiative. As you know, tourism could play an important role in the development of OIC Member States as well as in furthering the dialogue among civilisations and the preservation of our cultural heritage. In this context, I wish to commend the organizing of the International Conference on Tourism and Handicrafts by the Supreme Commission of Tourism of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and IRCICA. This Conference was very successful. Let me turn to the domain of Environment. The Second Islamic Conference of Ministers of the Environment was organized by ISESCO and hosted by the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment of Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 13-15 December 2006. The Conference adopted a programme for sustainable development and established an Executive Bureau to follow up and monitor the implementation of the commitments. On the other hand, the OIC General Secretariat and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has completed the revision of previous agreement to meet the contemporary needs. The new agreement will be signed in the near future. I visited all concerned OIC institutions to exert coordinated efforts for the protection of environment which is a prerequisite condition for sustainable development. With a view to ensuring good coordination for the implementation of the Programme of Action, the OIC General Secretariat and the IDB have established an “Inter-Organizational Technical Working Group (ITWG) which meets regularly under the Co-Chairmanship of the Assistant Secretary General of the OIC for Science and Technology and the Vice President for Operations of the IDB. I encourage OIC institutions to make similar arrangements whenever necessary with a view to harmonizing action for the effective and speedy implementation of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action. Taking this opportunity, I would like to add lastly that the OIC Ten Year Programme of Action mandates us for action on many fronts including some cultural-information activities with political dimensions such as combating the rising trend of discrimination and intolerance against Muslims, combating extremism and terrorism, protecting the Islamic Character and Heritage of Al-Quds, disseminating the true values of Islam, contributing to the bridging of recently widening gap between the Muslim world and the West and furthering political engagement with the Western world, as well as increasing capacity to tackle issues such as human rights and good governance. As you would appreciate the above duties are important tasks and present enormous challenges for the General Secretariat. In this areas as well, we need the full support of all the OIC family. Meanwhile, the OIC-UN General Cooperation meeting which was successfully held in Rabat in July last year also constituted a watershed in the understanding of the meaning on how this cooperation should be. Therefore, I appeal to all of you to vigorously follow up the points agreed in Rabat and report to us in a timely manner. In this framework, as one of the activities worth mentioning, I hail the exemplary cooperation and coordination established between the OIC Secretariat and ISESCO following the Rabat Meeting on the organization of an OIC-ISESCO-UN Trilateral Conference on the Intellectual Roots of Terrorism. Similarly, another praiseworthy step after Rabat has been the signing of an agreement between IRCICA and UNESCO for the establishment of Suleymaniye book hospital in Istanbul. Before concluding, I would like to express my sincere thanks to IDB, for its unequivocal support and its role in almost all the activities that I have cited above. As a former Scientist, I also personally express my thanks to my brother Dr. Mohammed Ali for his exemplary support to the Joint Action particularly in encouraging the development of Science and Technology in Member States. Dear Colleagues, Ensuring the effective implementation of this Programme is a noble duty. I am convinced that all OIC institutions will work hard to achieve the objectives contained in this programme for the benefit of the Islamic Ummah. Together we will build a world of hope and happiness for our future generations. I thank you all. Wassalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
