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JEDDAH: Foreign ministers representing member states of the influential Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are meeting to map out a route to prosperity.

The 46th session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be hosted by the UAE in Abu Dhabi on March 1-2 under the title “50 Years of Islamic Cooperation: Road Map for Prosperity and Development.”

The UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan will inaugurate the session in the presence of OIC Secretary-General Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen and representatives of 56 member states and five observer states. 

Al-Othaimeen thanked the UAE for hosting the CFM conference and Saudi Arabia, where the OIC is headquartered, for its continued support for the organization’s goals of promoting Islamic solidarity and joint action.

He added that the CFM would coincide with the celebration of the OIC’s 50th anniversary this autumn and said the conference would chart a road map for prosperity and development in the Muslim world.

Top of the agenda for the CFM meeting will be the Palestinian issue and Arab-Israeli conflict, with ministers expected to discuss developments in Palestine and the city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) along with the status of the peace process in the Middle East.

The gathering will also address the issues of combating terrorism, Islamophobia, and defamation of religions, the status of Muslim groups and communities in non-OIC countries, the OIC-2025 program of action, the work of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC), humanitarian, information, social and cultural activities, and inter-civilization, intercultural, and interfaith dialogue.

In the economic sphere, the foreign ministers will hold talks on agriculture, labor and employment, intra-OIC trade, tourism and transport, poverty alleviation and special programs.

The conference will also highlight efforts to promote science and technology in the areas of higher education, health, water, climate change, the environment, and the OIC universities.

In other matters, those elected at the 45th CFM session to be an assistant secretary-general will be sworn into office.

On the sidelines of the latest CFM meeting, ministers will hold a brainstorming session on the OIC’s role in helping to drive the future development of its member states.