The Thirtieth Session of the Islamic Commission for Economic, Cultural and Social Affairs (ICECS) began in Jeddah on Saturday 3 March 2007, in preparation for the 34th Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) which will be held in Islamabad, Pakistan, in May, 2007.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the Session, the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, stressed the importance of the session because it deals with issues that are vital to the Ummah’s effort to liberate itself from socio-economic predicaments which are manifested in economic backwardness, inadequate educational systems, illiteracy, insufficient effort in science and technology and wide-ranging problems in the social and health sectors.
Prof. Ihsanoglu pointed out the General Secretariat’s innovative efforts in these areas were made possible because of the spirit of reform inspired by the new work culture. He stated that the General Secretariat derived determination and encouragement from the impetus of the 3rd Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference held in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in December 2005. The Summit, he further stated, was a major turning point in the history of the Organization as it culminated in the issuing of the Ten-Year Programme of Action, a plan that will enable the Ummah to effectively turn the old pages of despondency and weakness and usher in a new era of strength, progress and prosperity.
The Secretary General reviewed the achievements that have been recorded in the implementation of the Ten-Year Programme of Action. These, he said, included the establishment of an Executive Committee based on the Troika System, the reform of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, turning it into a supreme Islamic authority, the commencement of the amendment of the OIC’s Charter as well as the establishment of the Islamic Observatory on Islamophobia at the General Secretariat.
Following that, the Secretary General presented an overview of the Organization’s activities in the economic, social, educational and cultural fields. He particularly mentioned the activities of the Standing Committee on Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) chaired by the Republic of Turkey, and the establishment of the Poverty Alleviation Fund with a generous donation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Kuwait and other States. He also mentioned the holding of the First Islamic Conference on the Role of Women in the Development of Member States, as well as activities in the field of science and technology, higher education in the framework of the Standing Committee on Science and Technology (COMSTECH).
Prof. Ihsanoglu explained that the overview was only a brief account of the General Secretariat’s efforts in discharging the tasks entrusted to it in the service of the Islamic Ummah.
The proceedings were declared open by the representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan who chaired the last session. A new Bureau was elected as follows:
Chair: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Vice-Chairs: State of Palestine
Republic of the Gambia
Republic of Tunisia
Rapporteur: Republic of Azerbaijan
