Banjul, May 4 (APS) – Heads of State and Government are welcomed by Gambian President Adama Barrow at the Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center, in Banjul, where the 15th is scheduled to open this Saturdaye Summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
The ballet of official delegations began on Friday with the arrivals of the presidents of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Djiboutian Ismaïl Umar Guelleh, Sierra Leonean Julius Maada Bio, and the vice-president of Côte d’Ivoire.
The Algerian Prime Minister and the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs are also on site as well as representatives of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait and Russia.
Bahrain, Iran, Libya, Morocco, Uganda, Pakistan, Somalia and Togo are participating in the Summit, according to an official list of which the APS has seen.
The Senegalese President takes part in the 15th Summit
Senegalese presidents Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his Mauritanian counterpart Mohamed Ould El-Ghazouani arrived in the Gambian capital on Saturday.
The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat is also participating in the Summit.
Official delegations are welcomed at the Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center under high security.
After the arrival of the heads of state, the Summit opens with a recitation of verses from the Koran, followed by the declaration of the presidency of the previous Summit ensured by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the adoption of the composition of the office and the handing over of the presidency to The Gambia.
The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will then make his statement, followed by that of the chairman of this 15th Summit, Gambian President Adama Barrow.
The sequence of speeches includes statements by the President of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB), the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, among others.
After the opening ceremony, the heads of state and government will meet behind closed doors to examine the reports of the presidents of the standing committees (Al Quds Committee, COMSEC, COMIAC and COMSTECH).
Banjul, the Gambian capital lives in the excitement of the 15e OIC Summit.
Giant posters bearing the likeness of Gambian Head of State Adama Barrow, with words of welcome to the summit hosts written in English, French and Arabic, adorn strategic locations and busy areas of the capital city
To be able to accommodate nearly 3,000 delegates, the Gambian authorities have spared no expense in providing road and hotel infrastructure and modernizing the Banjul international airport.
”Welcome to the 15th Banjul Summit of the OIC!”, exclaims in an editorial, the website The Point, which writes that ”the Smiling Coast of Africa” welcomes ”one of the most major international events in the country’s history.
”The 15th edition of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Islamic Summit Conference means a lot to The Gambia and its people,” he stressed.
Second largest intergovernmental organization after the UN
After the UN, the OIC is considered the second largest intergovernmental organization with 57 member states spread across four continents,” the publication notes.
The ballet of heads of state and government has continued in recent hours.
The 15th OIC summit is being held at an important moment in the life of the organization, notably the Palestinian question, peace and security, the situation of Muslim communities and minorities in non-member states, legal and humanitarian issues. , social, cultural, economic, scientific and technological, media, administrative and financial.
In Banjul, OIC Member States want to strengthen their cooperation and engage in constructive dialogue on global issues and challenges facing the Ummah.
The OIC was founded in September 1969 following the arson of the third mosque in Islam (after those of Mecca and Medina), Masjidi Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
It aims to protect and safeguard the interests of the Muslim world by promoting global peace and harmony. Its three main organs are: the Summit of Heads of State, the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) and the General Secretariat.
In 2016, the Organization adopted a ten-year action plan focused on peace and security, the Palestinian question and Al-Quds (Jerusalem), poverty reduction, the fight against terrorism, investment and finance, food security, science and technology, climate change and sustainability, moderation, culture and interfaith harmony, women’s empowerment, joint Islamic humanitarian action, human rights man and good governance, among others.
FD/OID/ABB
