Banjul, May 5 (APS) – The work of the 15th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) resumes this Sunday at the Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Center in Banjul with the participation of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
The program for the second and last day of this Summit, which is held on the theme “Strengthening unity and solidarity through dialogue for sustainable development”, includes the continuation of interventions by heads of state and government and heads of delegations.
A closing session is also planned for the adoption of a Resolution on the question of Palestine and Jerusalem, the adoption of the final communiqué and the Banjul Declaration.
A joint press conference by Gambian President Adama Barrow, current president of the OIC, and Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary General of the organization is planned at the end of the proceedings.
The 15th session of the OIC Summit opened on Saturday. The situation in Palestine was at the heart of the interventions of OIC leaders who condemned Israel’s abuses and recalled the Palestinians’ right to a state.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye declared that Senegal was “particularly concerned by the catastrophic situation in Gaza”, denouncing “the indifferent view of the international community”, “the inertia of the UN Security Council”. and “disregard for the most basic humanitarian rules”.
The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha deplored the “serious and unprecedented” situation that the Palestinian people are going through, denouncing the “persistence of crimes” and the “brutality of Israel’s ‘military aggression’ against Palestine.
Gambian President Adama Barrow, the new current Chairman of the OIC, reaffirmed ”the need to enable the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate national rights, as recognized by the international community, through the recognition of a State of Palestine within the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as capital.
For his part, Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, the Saudi Foreign Minister, reiterated the kingdom’s demands for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the opening of safe humanitarian and relief corridors and the end of the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people by enabling them to obtain all their legitimate rights, including their right to self-determination, to establish their independent State and to live in security.
The vast majority of leaders of the 57 OIC member countries were represented.
The presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, of Djibouti, Ismaïl Umar Guelleh, of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould El-Ghazouani, of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, the vice-president of Côte d’Ivoire, the Prime Minister Algerian and the Turkish Minister of Affairs are participating in the work, as well as representatives of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait and Russia.
The King of Morocco Mohammed VI is represented by the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq.
Bahrain, Iran, Libya, Morocco, Uganda, Pakistan, Somalia and Togo are also participating in the Summit.
The Palestinian question, peace and security, the situation of Muslim communities and minorities in non-member states, legal, humanitarian, social, cultural, economic, scientific and technological, media, administrative and financial issues are on the menu for this 15th Summit.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has 57 member states spread across four continents. It was founded in September 1969 following the arson of the third mosque in Islam (after those of Mecca and Medina), Masjdi Al Aqsa in Jerusalem.
The OIC 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, Palestine 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.
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