Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 27/02/2020
Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), H.E. Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, revealed that the OIC will adopt the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights "as revised in line with the universal human rights standards" once approved by the upcoming OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Niamey, Republic of Niger, next April.
This was part of his statement at the high-level segment of the 43rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held in Geneva on 26 February 2020. Al-Othaimeen also highlighted a number of Islamic world human rights issues.
Al-Othaimeen outlined the efforts made by the OIC in the face of racism and xenophobia, including Islamophobia, which he affirmed was the result of intellectual and political resistance to multiculturalism. "In cooperation with its partners, the OIC has developed a comprehensive and consensual approach to counter incitement to hate, discrimination and violence based on one's religion, as embodied in the HRC Resolution 16/18, which provided a consensual action plan that provides a comprehensive recipe for addressing these manifestations," stated the OIC Secretary-General.
In his statement delivered by Amb. Nassima Baghli, the Director of the OIC office in Geneva, the Secretary General stressed that terrorism, including religious extremism, is another concern of the international community, pointing out that the OIC squarely condemns the ideological narratives of all terrorist/ extremist groups and established a dedicated department, Sawt Al-Hikmah "Voice of Wisdom", a specialized body to counter the ideological narrative of extremists.
The Secretary-General's statement reviewed the most prominent human rights violations suffered by Muslims, including the documented practices of discrimination and violence against the Rohingya Muslims by all UN human rights mechanisms and the OIC.
As for Palestine, Al-Othaimeen stated that what the Palestinian Cause has witnessed after the announcement of the US Peace Plan requires the OIC to assert that any peace initiative must be consistent with the legal and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is the right to self-determination. He also reiterated the OIC’s support for the Kashmiris to have their legal right to self-determination in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions. The Secretary-General also pointed out the OIC condemnation of Armenia's continued occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan.
