Report on 17th OIC Extraordinary Summit hosted by Pakistan

By
Zunaira Khan
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672
OIC Summit
The 17th Extraordinary Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, held in Islamabad.

Islamabad, 19 December 2021 (TDI): The Extraordinary Session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Council of Foreign Ministers has been held in the Federal Capital of Pakistan on Sunday.

Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (the Chair of the 14th Session of the Islamic Summit) addressed the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM).

In addition, Hissein Ibrahim Taha, the OIC Secretary-General, and Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, the Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank Group also spoke at the opening of the 17th Extraordinary Session of OIC-CFM.

The Summit highlighted the gloomy scenario of distress prevalent in Afghanistan and underscored the ongoing situation of the humanitarian crisis in front of the world through the second largest organization of the world.

Address of Secretary-General Hissein Ibrahim Taha

The Secretary-General, Hissein Ibrahim Taha expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabia- Chair of the 14th Session of the Islamic Summit– for taking an initiative to extend urgent support to Afghanistan by reuniting the Muslim community through collective action.

While appreciating the efforts of Pakistan in the entire peace-making process, he thanked the incumbent government and the entire nation of Pakistan for supporting the initiative of the OIC for Afghanistan. Moreover, he commended Pakistan for always adopting a consistent approach for promoting peace, harmony, and solidarity in the region.

The Secretary-General urged international players to advance support to the Afghan people, keeping it a priority among other global challenges and to avoid future destruction. He also stated that OIC considers the Afghan issue as a major challenge to Muslim Ummah and sets its goals to combat terrorism in Afghanistan and to bring peace on the land.

Resolutions adopted during the Summit

The Extraordinary Session of the OIC-CFM concertedly passed a resolution, anticipating the establishment of a Humanitarian Trust Fund with a partnership of international and global players to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

The resolution has urged the Islamic Development Bank to expeditiously operationalize the Humanitarian Trust Fund by the first quarter of the year 2022.

Furthermore, the OIC has called upon its member states, the Islamic Financial Institutions, donors, and other global partners to provide assistance for Afghanistan and to declare pledges to the Humanitarian Trust Fund for Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister at Joint News Conference

While addressing a joint news conference after the Extraordinary Session, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi along with the Secretary-General of the OIC said that the OIC conference can be termed as a bright chapter in the gloomy period of chaos in Afghanistan as it has reunited Muslim states to realize the intensity of Afghan problem.

He further said that Pakistan will pursue its efforts to organize meetings to unite regional and international players to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people.

The OIC Secretary-General also remarked on the OIC conference that it has given hope to the Afghan people for a stable and peaceful future.

Ambassador Tariq Ali Bakheet, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural and Social Affairs has been appointed as a Special Envoy of Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Afghanistan.
OIC appoints Special Envoy on Afghanistan

At the conclusion of the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC, Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) appointed Ambassador Tariq Ali Bakheet, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural and Social Affairs as his Special Envoy on Afghanistan.

His appointment has been announced to manage and coordinate efforts for the supply of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The Envoy has been given a responsibility to coordinate timely and urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance and support, and to further economic and political engagement with Afghanistan.

The 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC has decided to launch a food security program as well, to eradicate starvation and food scarcity from Afghanistan. It will be an initiative of Muslim States to uplift the standards of human rights in Afghanistan.

OIC will engage with World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners to provide vaccines, medical supplies, and other health-related facilities to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to Afghan people and to combat emerging health issues in Afghanistan.

OIC will further engage the United Nations (UN) to develop an efficient roadmap for mobilizing rapid assistance to the Afghan people.

Snippets of Speeches at OIC Session

The Foreign Minister of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that collective efforts of Muslim states are required to combat the grave situation of Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Imran Khan highlighted the menace of crisis lingering in Afghanistan and the required attention from all the regional and global power to this issue. He further said that if the Afghan issue is not handled timely, the world will bear unfortunate surprises in the future.

He also warned that Afghanistan will become the biggest man-made crisis if the world does not work. While mentioning United States’ role, Imran Khan also stated that the United States (US) must work for the Afghan people.

Engagements on Sidelines of Summit

Hissein Ibrahim Taha, the Secretary-General of the OIC, officially met with the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan to discuss the challenges to Muslim Ummah.

Both discussed the ongoing situation of Afghanistan, the need to provide timely assistance to Afghan people, and to bring peace, stability, and harmony in Afghanistan on urgent grounds.

Additionally, the two discussed the Kashmir issue and the efforts of the OIC in supporting the people of Kashmir in their struggle against freedom and to obtain their rights including the right of self-determination, documented in all the resolutions of the Islamic Summit conferences and Council of Foreign Ministers meetings, resolutions of the United Nations as well as the UNSC.

The issue of Islamophobia was also discussed by the two and reconsidered the OIC and Pakistan’s efforts so far to combat the phenomenon. On the sidelines, Shah Mahmood Qureshi thanked the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Farhan for taking the initiative of the 17th Extraordinary Session.

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with the Foreign Minister of Somalia, Abdisaid Muse Ali, on the sidelines of the OIC Summit.

The Foreign Minister of Malaysia, Dato Sri Saifuddin Abdullah also called on the Prime Minister, Imran Khan on the side-lines of the 17th Extraordinary session of the OIC

Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with the Foreign Minister of Jordan, Ayman Hsafadi on the sidelines of the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC held in Islamabad.