The work of the Fourth Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Mediation “Experience and Prospects”, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Organization in Jeddah, started yesterday in Jeddah and continues to this day. The opening of the conference began with a speech by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs engineer Waleed bin Abdul Karim Al-Khuraji and the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hussein Ibrahim Taha.
Taha stressed that the topic of mediation is of great importance to the organization as the fourth session of the Mediation Conference is being held at a critical time and at a time when the world is in dire need of mediation, dialogue and negotiation in order to resolve conflicts. The Secretary General explained that the charter of the organization provides, in the goals and principles of the organization, an emphasis on strengthening relations between countries on the basis of justice, mutual respect and good neighborliness to ensure peace, security and universal consent in the world.
With regard to the peaceful resolution of disputes, the Charter requires Member States to use peaceful means of resolving disputes through good offices, negotiation, investigation, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement or any other peaceful means.
The Secretary General emphasized that the organization pays special attention to mediation, since about 60% of all conflicts in the world fall on the geography of the organization’s activities, noting that because of these conflicts, peoples have undergone many bitter experiences and comprehensive development. in these countries has declined, so the members of the organization are firmly committed to the peaceful and lasting resolution of outstanding disputes. In his remarks, the Secretary General outlined the many successes achieved by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in mediating various conflicts, especially those in the southern Philippines, southern Thailand, Sudan, Chad and Afghanistan. The organization played its part in supporting international efforts to bring peace and security and restore the rule of law in Somalia and Guinea, as well as an attempt to end sectarian tensions in Iraq in 2006, adding: Among the most recent cases, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has played a major role in resolving the tense situation faced by the Muslim community in Sri Lanka due to some organized actions by Buddhist monks against Muslims following the violent suicide attacks on churches and hotels on April 21, 2019, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also intervened to correct the discriminatory policies and the practice adopted by the Government of Sri Lanka to cremate the corpses of Muslim victims of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which violate the rights of Muslims in Sri Lanka.
