The 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) opened at the Parliament House in Islamabad Tuesday to discuss challenges faced by the Muslim world.
The two-day annual meeting of the 57-member body of Muslim countries is being held under the theme of ‘Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development’. About 46 member states are being represented at the ministerial level in the meeting. The rest will be represented by senior officials.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will deliver 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.
Meanwhile, 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 address the session. A video message by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be shown as well.
During the two-day conference, more than 100 resolutions will be overviewed.
The agenda of the meeting covers 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 on Palestine and Al Quds.
The participants would also deliberate on the situation in Afghanistan and India-held Jammu and Kashmir.
Issues pertaining to Africa and Muslims in Europe and developments in Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Syria, will also be taken up at the meeting.
The agenda, moreover, includes Islamophobia and issues related to international terrorism and cooperation in economic, cultural, social, humanitarian, and scientific domains.
On March 23, foreign ministers will visit the venue of the Pakistan Day parade. Later in the day, FM Qureshi along with OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha will hold a joint press stakeout following the conclusion of the session.
