Protests for Foreign Ministers begin in Jeddah

The Preparatory Meeting to the 48th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers kicks off in Jeddah.

The OIC Senior Officials Meeting SOM is scheduled to take place in March 2022 in Islamabad, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as a preparatory to the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, at the Jeddah-based headquarters of the General Secretariat.

The chair was handed over from the Republic of Niger to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan at the inaugural session.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, the Secretary General of OIC, Hissein Brahim Taha, appreciated the continuous support provided by the Government of Saudi Arabia to the OIC and its Member States, as well as his Royal Highness Prince Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince, as well as his Royal Highness Prince Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. He applauded the efforts and initiatives taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its capacity as chair of the 14th Islamic Summit.

He paid tribute to the Republic of Niger for its successful chairing of the 47th Session of the CFM. He also congratulated the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the appointment of the Chair of the 48th Session of the CFM over the coming session.

The Secretary General looked at major developments in some Member States as well as the main items on the agenda of the meeting. He addressed the situation in Palestine, Afghanistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Mali, the Sahel Region and Lake ChadChad Basin, and other African countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Muslim communities and minorities in non-Member States.

He emphasised the need to overcome the challenges faced by the Member States to ensure peace, stability and development and to achieve the aspirations of their peoples. He affirmed the determination of the General Secretariat to give a new impetus to the efforts of the OIC to achieve those goals. He stressed the need to strengthen the capacities of the OIC in the areas of peace, preventive diplomacy and mediation, counterterrorism and combating Islamophobia, along with response efforts to COVID 19 challenges.