Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Chairman of the Islamic Summit, Patronizes OIC Golden Jubilee’s Festivities

Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saoud, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is readying to stage major festivities on 25th November 2019 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of its establishment. The OIC Secretary General, Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, expressed gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, chairman of the Islamic Summit, for his gracious patronage of the OIC’s Golden Jubilee celebratory event being hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the headquarter state, in the city of Jeddah, under the logo of “United For Peace and Development”. This patronage, he said, is a testimony to the importance, which the headquarter state accords to the OIC and to the centrality of Islamic Solidarity in the policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which represents the heart of the Islamic world.

The Secretary General went on to say that the OIC, which represents one of the largest international organizations, second only to the United Nations, benefits of the generous patronage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which financial and logistical support, he asserted, covered the full range of the OIC’s activities, all along the past fifty years.

Of note, is the fact that the OIC Golden Jubilee celebratory event is being staged in implementation of a resolution issued by the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, which was held in Abu Dhabi in March 2019, dedicating the year 2019 for the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the OIC, with a view to boost the OIC’s visibility as an international organization and an effective partner in the consolidation of peace, security and development in the world.

The occasion commemorates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the organization, which witnessed its first launch at the founding summit held in Rabat on September 25, 1969, following the criminal arson on the Al-Aqsa Mosque on August 21, 1969, and its statute was established as a governmental organization representing the countries of the Islamic world at the first meeting of foreign ministers In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1970.

The event marks the first launch of the Organization's Golden Jubilee celebrations on the territory of Saudi Arabia, which provided material and logistical support to ensure the success of the Jubilee and the associated OIC festival, to be followed by several celebrations in other OIC Member States fifty years since its establishment. Invitations were extended to their Highnesses and Excellencies the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States. His Excellency Secretary General Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen will welcome them in his speech at the opening ceremony, to be followed by speeches on this occasion by the host country and Heads of OIC Geographic Groups.

The first day of the celebration will also include honoring prominent Islamic figures in recognition of their efforts to serve the goals of the organization, as well as screening of a documentary on the history of the organization.

The Golden Jubilee will also conclude with an operetta on the Organization's Golden Jubilee.

On the sidelines of the Jubilee celebration, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) festival, which will start on November 26, 2019, will last until Thursday, November 28, 2019. It includes a major symposium on the prospects of joint Islamic action, exhibitions of the organs of the Organization and various handicraft and artistic exhibitions in which the OIC countries will participate. These, in addition to exhibitions of folk food embodying the culture and diversity of Member States and performances and plays directed at the children from OIC member states.