Pakistan proposes convening an OIC Ministerial Conference to assess the need for establishing a peace and security architecture

Pakistan proposes convening an OIC Ministerial Conference to assess the need for establishing a peace and security architecture

ISLAMABAD (UNA-OIC) – Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi proposed on Tuesday convening an OIC Ministerial Conference during 2022-2023 to assess the need for establishing a peace and security architecture akin to all other regional organizations.

Addressing the inaugural session of the OIC-Council of Foreign Ministers, held today in Islamabad, Pakistan, the foreign minister said it was time for the Muslim Ummah to forge a collective response to the current turmoil inside its borders and the ongoing global transition.

“We must be a reliable partner in forging unity, justice, and development across the globe.”

The foreign minister said the time had come for OIC to strengthen and equip itself to address contemporary challenges and conflicts confronting the Muslim Ummah.

He mentioned that the Muslim world was facing conflicts in the Middle East, prolonged foreign occupation, and the denial of the right to self-determination, most notably to the people of Palestine and Kashmir.

Welcoming the recent designation of 15 March as the “International Day to Combat Islamophobia” by the UN General Assembly, he said Pakistan was gratified to have played its role in garnering consensus on this important issue.

“Through the observance of this Day, the OIC will enhance greater global awareness of Islamophobia and advance solutions through collective action,” he said.

FM Qureshi emphasized partnering for development by effectively addressing the triple global crises of COVID-19, development, and climate change.

He commended the leadership role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the OIC Summit Chair.

Qureshi termed the OIC as the collective voice of nearly two billion Muslims and also a bridge among Muslim nations and the international community.

He also highlighted the collective recent achievements including holding the CFM on Afghanistan, establishing the OIC Humanitarian Trust Fund appointment of Special Envoy of the OIC Secretary-General, and launch of Afghanistan Food Security Program.

For his part, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha stressed upon making concerted efforts by all the OIC member states to tackle the various challenges being faced by the Muslim Ummah.

The secretary-general said that Palestinian people had been facing illegal Israeli occupation and the forceful colonization of their lands.

Condemning the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, he said Israeli actions were stark negations of the international laws and the UN resolutions for the peaceful settlement of the issue, by protecting the Palestinian rights to life and land.

About the issue of Afghanistan, he emphasized upon further efforts to bring stability and peace. He termed the establishment of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund on the margin of the OIC-CFM session as another effort by the member states for financial and humanitarian support to the Afghan people.

The secretary-general further said that fighting terrorism was an absolute priority of the OIC and called upon the protection of the rights of children, women, and families laws, besides, capacity building of the Muslim youth in the fields of the latest science and technological fields and modern education.

In his speech, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan touched on the issues of Palestine and Kashmir, calling on member states to unite in the face of global transformations.

He also stressed the need to work on stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan after 40 years of conflict and suffering, warning that the country may witness a humanitarian crisis.

 He stressed that the stability of Afghanistan is the only solution to stop international terrorism from using the territory of Afghanistan in its operations.

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