Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 16/05/2020
The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, said that conventional and modern media are essential and necessary tools for the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic especially the news agencies in OIC member countries as they can help stop the spread of the pandemic by disseminating reliable information, raising awareness, and debunking fake news.
He made this statement in his speech during the opening session of the First Virtual Meeting of the Union of News Agencies (UNA) of the OIC Member Countries, one of the specialized organs of the OIC, on "The Role of News Agencies in Supporting Efforts to Combat the Coronavirus", held in Jeddah on Saturday, 16th May 2020.
The Secretary General thanked the host country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, may Allah preserve them, for the support the Kingdom has been continuously giving the General Secretariat and the various OIC organs to enable them to discharge their mandate.
Dr. Al-Othaimeen commended the efforts of the Union of OIC News Agencies for the role it plays under the leadership of Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi, Chairman of the Executive Council, regarding training programmes that benefit media professionals in the member countries.
Dr. Al-Othaimeen said that in order to inform the international public about the efforts of Member States in the area of health, specifically as regards the fight against the pandemic, the OIC has launched a far-reaching media awareness campaign under the hashtag: (#OICCountriesCombatCOVID19)" in Arabic and English on OIC social media platforms, where hundreds of videos, graphics, photos, and others have been published. He explained that the OIC has also created a special page on its official website which is updated every half hour and includes information and statistics on the spread of the novel coronavirus in the OIC Member States.
Furthermore, the Secretary General stated that during this crisis, OIC institutions have demonstrated their complementarity in assuming their respective roles, noting that the meeting of the Union of News Agencies is a testimony to the important role UNA plays in communicating the OIC media vision.
He stressed that the OIC and its organs have been swift in supporting the Member States in their efforts to combat the pandemic in an integrated manner and to mobilize the resources available at the level of the OIC and its institutions to assist the peoples of the Muslim World in this difficult period.
