JEDDAH: The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha on Tuesday called on the world to increase funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
He emphasized the agency’s crucial role in providing essential humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees and enhancing regional stability. Taha expressed concern over the suspension of contributions to UNRWA’s budget by donor countries, urging increased financial support to uphold the rights of Palestinian refugees and find a just resolution to their plight.
He was addressing to the opening session of the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah on March 5.
Taha highlighted the urgency of the meeting amidst escalating Israeli aggression, which he condemned for its violations of international norms and laws, including massacres, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. He cited the recent targeting of civilians awaiting food aid, resulting in the deaths of over thirty thousand Palestinians and the displacement of nearly two million.
The Secretary-General criticized the Israeli occupation’s systematic policies of siege, starvation, torture, and indiscriminate destruction of infrastructure, mosques, hospitals, and educational institutions, describing them as genocidal acts aimed at uprooting the Palestinian people from their land.
Taha expressed gratitude to the participants for their engagement in the extraordinary session, which underscored the centrality of the Palestine issue. He commended Member States for convening the meeting to bolster OIC efforts in line with resolutions from the Joint Arab Islamic Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh in November last year.
The Secretary-General highlighted the success of efforts by the Arab and Islamic ministerial contact group, including diplomatic visits to influential countries and engagement with international organizations. He also highlighted the activation of media monitoring and legal observatory units established under the Summit’s resolutions.
Taha informed attendees about the OIC’s submissions along with the 25 members’ state to the International Court of Justice regarding Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and violations of Palestinian self-determination rights.
The opening session featured speeches by Mohamed Marzouk, Mauritania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and meeting Chair, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Palestine’s Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki.
Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on the ongoing #Israeli aggression against the #Palestinian people. Tuesday, 5th March 2024, at the #OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/R20043DSJM
— OIC (@OIC_OCI) March 5, 2024
