OIC reception to commemorate 38th anniversary

Date: 07/11/2007

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu organized a reception at his residence in Jeddah on Tuesday 6th November 2007, in commemoration of the OIC’s 38th anniversary. The ceremony was attended by a number of eminent officials and representatives of the Saudi society, along with OIC’s own senior staff, the Member States’ permanent representatives to the OIC, and the members of the consular and diplomatic corps of a number of other states accredited in Jeddah. On this occasion, the Secretary General delivered a speech in which he welcomed the guests and thanked them for having responded to the Organization’s invitation. He recalled with appreciation and a sense of allegiance founding fathers of the OIC, particularly the late King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and the diligent efforts they had contributed to bring Muslims together. The Secretary General also paid tribute to the generous support which the OIC receives from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and from the Saudi Government, and announced on the occasion their allocation of a plot of land covering 40,000 sq.m in the city of Jeddah for the construction of the Organization’s new headquarters. After this, the Secretary General reviewed the main achievements of the OIC over its past progress and laid stress on the particular weight of the Makkah Al Mukarramah Extraordinary Summit which represents a watershed in the history of the Organization, with the adoption of the Ten-year Action Programme to face up to the 21st Century’s challenges. He also briefly outlined the achievements of the past year in terms of initiatives and moves aimed at achieving solidarity among the Member States and enhancing cooperation and understanding with the outside world such as to bring about peace and security for the world. After that, the Director General of the Makkah Al Mukarramah Province Branch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mohamed Ahmed Al Taieb, delivered a speech in which he paid tribute to the efforts of the OIC Secretary General and his staff and highlighted the OIC’s special role in achieving the unification and solidarity of the Islamic Ummah. It is worth noting that the OIC Secretary General had prepared on the occasion a detailed report on the major efforts and initiatives of the Secretariat General over the past year (September 2006 – November 2007) including many issues such as Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Darfur, Southern Thailand, Southern Philippines, Nagorno Karabakh, Jammu and Kashmir and many other dossiers such as Islamophobia, human rights, women, youth, science, technology, combating poverty and OIC development.

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