Jeddah (UNA-OIC) – Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha called on OIC member states and relevant institutions, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to intensify their efforts in tackling the challenges facing children, particularly those of refugees and displaced persons living under occupation and armed conflict, in the light of measures taken by states to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Secretary-General stressed that when the rights of children are secured, the future of societies is guaranteed.
This came as part of his message to commemorate World Children’s Day, celebrated annually on 20 November since its establishment in 1954. The objective of the commemoration is to promote international cooperation and raise awareness about the rights of the child, improve their wellbeing everywhere in the world, and support policy priorities for the protection of children’s rights.
Conscious of the importance of children’s welfare and wellbeing in building societies and future generations, particularly children in asylum and displacement, the OIC Ministerial Conference on Social Development held in Turkey in December 2019 called on member states and relevant OIC organs and institutions to mainstream children protection in all assistance programs and activities provided for the refugees. It also called on the relevant authorities in the field of humanitarian work in member states to elaborate and promote comprehensive policies to respond to the situation of refugees, particularly children refugees.
In implementation of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) resolutions, the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC), in coordination with the General Secretariat, reviewed the OIC Covenant on the Rights of the Child in the light of international human rights instruments, in order to align it with the global challenges in the field.
The General Secretariat is getting ready to hold the open-ended meeting of the intergovernmental group of experts to discuss the revised OIC Covenant on the Rights of the Child in February 2022 at the General Secretariat headquarters, in coordination with the IPHRC.