OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen.
Jeddah (UNA-OIC) – Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen affirmed the continuation of work and partnership with UNRWA, in order to mobilize the political and financial support necessary to enable the agency to continue providing its vital services to the Palestinian refugees, in line with relevant resolutions of the Islamic Summit and the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers.
During his video call with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, the OIC chief praised the important role played by UNRWA, referring to the efforts of the OIC General Secretariat to urge member states to provide more financial assistance to the UN Palestine agency.
The OIC cooperates with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and UNRWA, in order to activate the Development Waqf (endowment) Fund to support Palestinian refugees, in a way contributes to supporting UNRWA’s role in serving Palestinian refugees until there is a solution to their case in accordance with the relevant international legitimacy resolutions, Al-Othaimeen added.
For his part, Lazzarini expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the OIC Secretary General in support of UNRWA. He pointed out that the agency is keen on enhancing communication and cooperation with the OIC, and praised the support of its member states for UNRWA activities in various fields.
It is worth noting that UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees receives the attention of OIC Member States, and that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the Islamic Summit, had announced a donation of US$50 million to the 2019 budget of UNRWA. The agency confirmed that Saudi Arabia became the third-largest donor in 2018 with a donation amounting to US$160 million.
