OIC Secretary General Congratulates President Adama Barrow As 15th Edition Opens in Banjul
By Yunus S Saliu
His Excellency Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Saturday, 4th May at the opening session of the ongoing 15th Islamic Summit Conference, held in Banjul, congratulated The Gambia President His Excellency Adama Barrow on the significant occasion of the Gambia assumption of the President of the 15th edition of the OIC Summit. The Summit is held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba International Conference Centre.
In his words, H.E. Mr Hissein Brahim Taha said “I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to His Excellency Mr. Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia, and the government and people of The Gambia on the significant occasion of The Gambia’s assumption of the presidency of the 15th Islamic Summit, wishing them every success. The meticulous arrangements made for the Summit’s success are truly commendable.”
The Secretary-General touching on different issues noted that the Palestinian cause remains the OIC’s central issue and urged the member states to redouble efforts to mobilize the responsibility of the international community toward stopping the aggression and genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif.
Also, he urged the OIC Member States to continue to mobilize international support for the recognition of the State of Palestine and help it attain full membership in the United Nations while announcing the establishment of a media observatory at the OIC General Secretariat to document and highlight, within the media, the numbers of martyrs, wounded, detainees, and various crimes of the Israeli occupation.
H.E. Hissein disclosed that The OIC is also concurrently working towards activating the Legal Observatory to document Israeli crimes, in line with the decision of the recent Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh.
Speaking on the issue of Afghanistan, the OIC Secretary-General noted that the organization continued its engagement within the framework of its humanitarian approach and constructive dialogue with the de facto authority in Afghanistan.
Consequently, the Secretary-General reaffirmed the OIC’s commitment to addressing pressing political and humanitarian challenges facing the OIC Member States. He emphasized that the right to self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir remains a priority for the OIC.
As chairman of the 15th Edition of the OIC Banjul Summit, The Gambia President His Excellency Adama Barrow pledged to promote unity, solidarity, and sustainable development within the Islamic World. Noting that his approach will include prioritizing initiatives that will enhance economic cooperation, foster cultural exchange, and address pressing issues, such as poverty and access to education and healthcare.
He went on saying “We are convened with the awareness that the Muslim world faces challenges including terrorism and armed conflicts. Therefore, we must reaffirm our commitment to mediation and dialogue for lasting peace.” He reaffirmed the need to enable the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate national rights, as recognised by the International Community, through its recognition of a State of Palestine within the 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Shareef as its Capital.
According to him, the ongoing violence, instability in the region, and humanitarian crisis in Gaza continue to make prospects for peace remote, he, therefore, called upon Member States to take decisive action to address the root causes of the conflict and work towards a just and lasting solution
Meanwhile, he expressed that The Gambia’s legal case at the ICJ aims to address the human rights crisis in Myanmar and bring accountability for the Rohingya people. The initiative has received widespread support from various countries, human rights organizations, and legal experts
However, the OIC Banjul Summit held under the theme ‘Enhancing Unity and Solidarity through Dialogue for Sustainable Development,’ gave opportunities to member countries to meet and deliberate on different issues.
