JEDDAH (UNA-OIC) – The Islamic Committee of the International Crescent (ICIC), one of the specialized organs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, organized its thirty-fifth session at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah.
The session started on January 5th and will last for three days, under the auspices of Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary-General of the OIC, and in the presence of ambassadors and delegates of the OIC’s countries, members of the ICIC and observers, heads and secretaries Representatives of the National Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies and representatives of other humanitarian organizations participating in this session.
At the start of the session, Ambassador Ali Mahmoud Bouhedma, president of the ICIC, thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman for the approval to hold this session in Saudi Arabia, the country of the Two Holy Mosques, praising the efforts of the Government of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support the humanitarian work undertaken by the ICIC.
He also praised the efforts of the OIC’s General Secretariat in hosting this session.
Bouhedma expressed his sincere appreciation to the State of Libya, the headquarters of the ICIC, for the support and facilities it provided to the Committee in accordance with the agreement to host the headquarters signed between Libya and the OIC’s General Secretariat.
Bouhadma, in his speech, valued the great humanitarian assistance provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other member states to alleviate the suffering of millions of people in the Islamic world.
For his part, Ambassador Tariq Bakhit, the OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Cultural, Social and Humanitarian Affairs, and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the OIC to Afghanistan, praised the generous Saudi donation of 20 million riyals to support the OIC initiative to provide Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines for two categories: health workers and the elderly in the 22 least developed Member States, including the State of Palestine.
In the same context, the President of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, Dr Jalal bin Muhammad Al-Owaisi, affirmed that Saudi Arabia had established a global status and strong presence in the humanitarian field and the provision of humanitarian aid worldwide, which is evident through the financial and material relief programs it provides in areas of disasters, wars, and conflicts.
Al-Owaisi appreciated the generous support provided by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, President of the Islamic Summit, and his Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for the OIC and its programs and activities in order to enable the organization to fully carry out its responsibilities in the service of joint Islamic action.
He pointed out that the Saudi Red Crescent Authority is keen to deploy the ambulance service and enhance its quality to serve humanitarian work and joint efforts in cooperation with humanitarian organizations and national societies of the Red Crescent and the Red Cross.
For his part, the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the OIC, Saleh bin Hamad Al-Suhaibani, stressed the importance of such meetings hosted by the Kingdom.
He also emphasized the Kingdom’s keenness to achieve the goals of the OIC and the glorious hopes of the Islamic nation and strengthen joint Islamic action, pointing out in this regard to Saudi Arabia support for the ICIC to enable it to accomplish its noble humanitarian mission.
He said that Saudi Arabia has provided the ICIC with all needed means to enhance and support the bonds of brotherhood and solidarity among the member states of the OIC, preserve and protect common interests, advocate the just causes of the Member States, and coordinate and unify the efforts of the member states to address the challenges facing the Islamic world in particular and the international community in general.
Al-Suhaibani also commends Saudi Arabia’s status as a critical international platform in the global humanitarian work map, which manifests in hosting many local, regional and international humanitarian organizations and bodies, led by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the leading international institution in this field.
It is noteworthy that the current session discussed the latest developments in topics related to the work of providing humanitarian aid to those affected in cases of natural disasters, providing humanitarian relief for the displaced in the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, continuing cooperation and coordination in the fields of humanitarian work and following up on developments in the irregular migration program.
