Islamabad, March 22: The 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) began at the at the Pakistan Parliament House in Islamabad Tuesday, Dawn reported. The session is expected to discuss the challenges being faced by the Muslim world. This years theme of the 57-member body of Muslim countries is ‘Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development’. About 46 member states have sent their representative for the two-day annual ministerial level meeting. The rest are being represented by senior officials.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will be delivering a keynote address at the inaugural session which will highlight Pakistan’s role and contribution towards OIC and deliberate on the challenges faced by the Muslim world. Later Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will deliver a speech after the election of bureau members. Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, Islamic Development Bank President Dr Muhammad Suleiman Al-Jasser, Chinese State Councilor, and Foreign Minister Wangi Yi will also be speaking at the session. A video message by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also be shown at the session. More than 100 resolutions are expected to be overviewed, during the two-day conference. The agenda of the meeting will include a review of the developments affecting the Muslim world since the last CFM held in Niamey in 2020 and efforts undertaken by the secretariat for the implementation of resolutions adopted in previous sessions, especially regarding Palestine and Al Quds.
Other issues expected to be taken up for discussion include those pertaining to Africa and Muslims in Europe and developments in Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Syria and also on the situation in Afghanistan.. The agenda, includes Islamophobia and issues related to international terrorism and cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, social, humanitarian, and scientific domains. On March 23, the foreign ministers will be guests at the Pakistan Day parade and later FM Qureshi along with OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha will hold a joint press conference following the conclusion of the session. UNI
