Speech of Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to the Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers of OIC Member States

Date: 26/09/2008

United Nations Headquarters, New York 26 September 2008 Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, Dear Sisters and Brothers, Allow me to start by wishing you a happy and blessed Ramadan, as well as a joyful Eid el-Fitre which will come in few days. We pray God Almighty to bestow on us all, and the Muslims the world over (and humanity as a whole) his mercy, blessing and benediction as well as his guidance. I have the distinct honour to welcome you all as we come together in this Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States, to discuss issues of interest to our countries and our common causes tabled on the agenda of the present 63rd Session of the General Assembly. We appreciate this opportunity as it gives us a chance to meet and update our consultation on certain issues and coordinate our activities and efforts in this regard. Before I go any further, I would like to express our sincere thanks to the Republic of Senegal for successfully hosting the 11th OIC Summit of Heads of State and Government in Dakar on 13-14 March, 2008 which was a historic meeting distinguished by the adoption of the new OIC Charter among other things. By the same token, I would like to convey our gratitude and acknowledgment to the Republic of Uganda for the excellent hosting of the 35th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Kampala, which resulted in the adoption of very important resolutions of major significance to the joint Islamic action. Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, Dear Sisters and Brothers, As the leaders of the world congregate in the UN Headquarters for the general debate, the General Assembly, making use of the presence of the world leaders in New York, has recently taken the initiative to convene High-level events as the focus of specific discussions and considerations. The issues of these high-level events are chosen from an array of vital international issues requiring urgent action. These events deal with four subjects: Africa’s Development Needs; Achieving the Millennium Development Goals; Mid-term Review of the Almaty Programme of Action; and the Special Session on Human Rights. In addition to these, two themes were chosen by the President of the General Assembly for the general debate: Food Crisis and the Democratisation of the UN. In the same context, and as per tradition, the President of the General Assembly has identified a number of areas to focus on during this 63rd Session: food crisis, poverty alleviation, water, health, climate changes, financing for development, disarmament and countering terrorism. Many of these issues also take prevalence on the agenda of the OIC as well. As you are well aware, the two important meetings of the OIC this year were convened this year in Africa; the OIC Summit in Dakar, and the CFM in Kampala with special emphasis on Africa. This is an indication that we are working in tandem with the concerns and preoccupations of the international community. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, As you all know, the world is experiencing a dramatic increase in food prices. Continued rise in the cost of basic food commodities has an adverse impact on achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and contributes to exacerbating the rate of poverty. It further impedes development plans, particularly in developing countries. Fourteen OIC Member States are among the world’s 37 countries in crisis requiring external assistance in food supply. The recently held 35th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers adopted a resolution on Food Security in the OIC Member States and called for collective action in order to ensure food security for the populations of the Member States. Moreover, it mandated the OIC Secretary General to organize a meeting of Food and Agricultural Ministers of the OIC Member States to address the current international food crisis and achieve food security. The OIC Ten Year Programme of Action called for collective actions of the Member States in tackling issues such as poverty. OIC identified food and agriculture as one of its priority areas for collective action and established a number of programmes to be taken in order to ensure food security. The growth and development of the majority of OIC African Member States depend on the export of a limited number of primary commodities, namely agricultural ones. Africa is confronted by four key challenges: a global food crisis, climate change, high energy prices and persistent poverty. Unfortunately, the economies of the Sub-Sahara African countries have been growing for the past three decades at a low rate, far behind the rest of the world. This phenomenon has created problems such as illiteracy, malnutrition, disease and crime. International food crisis further worsens the conditions of poor people in these countries. Some OIC Member States have already undertaken measures to curb this phenomenon and have allocated generous financial resources for this purpose. I would like to draw your attention to the need for persevering in implementing the provisions of the Ten-Year Programme of Action adopted at the Mecca Extraordinary Summit in December 2005. We have paid special attention to align the priorities of this programme with those of UN Millennium Development Goals. Towards implementing the OIC Ten Year Programme of Action a special fund entitled the “Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development” (ISFD) was established within the IDB with US$10 billion in financial resources to alleviate poverty, eliminate illiteracy and eradicate diseases and epidemics in OIC Member States. The Fund initiated formal operations in 2008 and its objectives are linked directly to supporting the achievement of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals. As such, the Fund is focused on combating poverty in the poorest OIC member states with 80 % of the allocation dedicated to sub-Saharan Africa, combating pockets of poverty in other member states is also a priority. The OIC Ten Year Programme of Action has also called for adoption of a Special Programme for the Development of Africa. In line with this, in 2008 the IDB developed a Special Programme for the Development of Africa (SPDA), which will cover a wider range of sectors and activities, in particular human development, agricultural development and food security, infrastructure development, private sector development etc. The cumulative flow of financing resources for the SPDA is approximately US$12 billion. Some OIC Member States are individually extending support to Africa’s sustainable development challenges and needs, through certain programmes and projects. As I have said many times in my former speeches, the TYPOA is the blueprint for the development of the Muslim world on all fronts. Although good progress has been achieved at the level of OIC institutions, only limited progress on its implementation has been accomplished at the level of the commitments of Member States. In a few months, we will be completing the third year of the adoption of the TYPOA. I would like, on this occasion, to appeal to you to kindly lend the question of implementing the program your utmost care and attention in order to permit us to consolidate Joint Islamic Action as the real locomotive for our progress and development. This effort necessitates your personal intervention through innovative initiatives and result-oriented actions to reverse the present trend of slow movement and move forward with the required vigour towards its proactive implementation. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, You are well aware of the international financial problems facing the world, characterized by the monumental crisis in the financial markets in the West, and the collapse of giant economic financial enterprises. The Western countries are preparing programmes and initiatives to bail out institutions in crisis, and allocating huge amounts of billions of dollars. There is no doubt that this crisis will spill over to other countries including our Member States, given the interconnectedness of global financial markets. It is in this context that Member States should cooperate to help and assist the Islamic financial institutions, with a view to meet the danger and the repercussions of the present financial crisis. Honourable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, Allow me at this juncture to dwell on a subject which threatens to affect many Muslims, the world over, with significant impact on the Western world. Islamophobia has been present in Western culture for several centuries. It has taken different forms at different times and in different contexts. Nowadays, many Western observers believe that Islamophobia is gearing towards becoming a form of racism and not a mere “dislike” to a certain culture. Credible Western sources believe that Islamophobia has become so entrenched and widespread that it may be more prevalent and dominant than racial abuse and discrimination. Another trend in the mounting surge of Islamophobia is the so-called “Institutional Islamophobia” which consist of avoiding the use of the words like racism or discrimination in the reports of the specialized Western institutions, and replacing these words by the word “Islamophobia”, in a bid to dilute or disguise the sense of racism or discrimination which incur punishment under the prevailing international laws and instruments dealing with racism and discrimination. It is an attempt to deny the existence of discrimination against Muslims, and conceal it under deceptive expressions. The success of OIC Groups in New York and Geneva in passing resolutions on defamation of religion at the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council, has fuelled the wrath and the fear of many against Islam and the Muslim world. Orchestrated campaigns of false accusations and insults were quick to appear on the pages of some Western media, and even in the Chambers of the U.S. Congress against the OIC and OIC Groups in UN in New York and Geneva. It is expected that strong pressures will be put on the UN Member States to avert any future attempt of adopting similar UN resolution in the future. The allegation that the OIC wants to criminalize Christianity at the UN by making a reference to Cairo Declaration on Human Rights is an utter lie that does not stand for the solid record of Islams tolerant and friendly position towards the revealed religions and Christianity in particular. Under Islamic rule Churches are built next to Mosques in total harmony all over the Muslim world. I would like, at this juncture, to thank Member States that responded to my letter seeking advice and guidance on how best to deal with the present predicament. Your valuable contribution was duly recorded and it will be taken into consideration when we will consider this matter in the future. I seize this opportunity to, once again, invite your kind attention to this pandemic culture which poses a direct and dangerous threat to the Islamic faith, and to the well being of Muslims and their physical safety. I would like to reiterate, once again, that a collective and strong action by the OIC Member States should be taken at the highest level and as quickly as possible to focus attention on this eminent danger. Moreover, some circles in the West are exerting great efforts to block the adoption of the resolution on the defamation of religion which was introduced by the OIC Groups in New York and Geneva. They object to the word defamation of religion and argue that defamation of religion has no place under the notion of human rights, because rights can be evoked in the case of incitement to hatred and discrimination against a person or a group of persons only and not against an idea or an abstract matter. This matter should be duly debated and studied to see if a compromise on this issue can be reached to bring these circles on board with us, such that they commit to abide by the provisions of international law which prohibits incitement to hatred. I would also highly appreciate it if you could consider instructing your heads of missions in Europe and the US to take this issues up at the highest possible level with the officials to explain what the OIC stands for as an intergovernmental organisation that serves the interests of the Muslim world in accordance with the decisions and resolutions adopted by its official organs. The OIC campaign in combating Islamophobia was and still draws on the resources of international law like the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and a score of International Conventions and Treaties dealing with human rights, as well as the reports and the findings of the Western specialized institutions in this domain. At no time has the OIC or the OIC Group denigrated Christianity or tried to silence freedom of expression. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is regrettable to say that the stalemate in Palestine between the Palestinian groups persists, despite the commendable and strenuous efforts exerted by some neighbouring countries. This situation is of such a nature that it distracts the focus of the world from their just cause. In Iraq, we have opened an OIC Office in Baghdad. We are more optimistic about the visible improvement on the security issue, and in strengthening the role of the Iraqi Government in handling the affairs of the state. We hope that the developments of the situation there will be conducive to all the people of Iraq to reclaim their sovereignty over all their territory and to decide their political future in a free and sovereign manner. As we support the initiative for rapprochement between Pakistan and India, we hope that the new climate prevailing in relations between the two countries will be conducive to reaching a solution for this old conflict in a manner that safeguards the inalienable rights of the Kashmiri people in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Honorable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, The main purpose of this coordinating meeting is to give the honourable Ministers and heads of delegations the opportunity to coordinate their efforts and unify their stands as closely as possible on the important issues on the agenda of the General Assembly, particularly those issues that have a bearing on the Muslim world. Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that we have agreed in last year meeting to rationalize the work of the Annual Coordination Meeting to focus more on thematic issues and to reduce the volume of the final communiqué in order limit it to the items of the UN agenda. However, you may have noticed that our final communiqué today is still too long and detailed and duplicating with the final communiqué of the annual meetings of Council of Foreign Ministers. Therefore, I would like to seize this opportunity to reiterate my appeal to the New York Group to keep in mind the rationalization objectives within the reform process engaged since the adoption of the Ten-Year Program of Action and the new Charter of the OIC. This important meeting and other regular meetings convened throughout the year, play a significant role in streamlining our activities and coordinating our stands on issues. Despite our relative success, I think that the challenges confronting us are still daunting if not increasing with the onslaught of Islamophobia assuming greater prominence on the global stage. Our method to combat this scourge is through solidarity in our actions and the unity of our ranks. We have managed in the past few years to carry the day here in this very platform, through our common and unified action. And I think that what awaits us tomorrow could only be addressed with the same determination and insistence to safeguard our rights and defend our causes. I have no doubt that, God willing, we will be able to rise to that challenge. Thank you.

Other Press

No press releases assigned to this case yet.