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Published:
2018-03-29 22:50:59 BdST

Rohingya crisis ‘to get focus in OIC’s CFM’


FT ONLINE

The current Rohingya crisis and the challenges facing the Muslim Ummah -- the conflicts, division, tension and instability of the Muslim world -- will get focus in the 45th Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the OIC to be held here in May next.

"Protection of their (Rohingyas) rights and fundamental freedoms, will, therefore, remain a major preoccupation of this CFM," said State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam on Thursday. 

He was addressing seminar on the theme- ‘Upcoming 45th Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of OIC, Dhaka: Revisiting A Shared Journey' in the city.

Certainly, Shahriar Alam said, the problems of terrorism and violent extremism, sectarian tendencies, hatred, prejudice and Islamophobia, massive humanitarian crises with forced displacements seriously -- affecting the rights and dignity of Muslim minorities like the Rakhine Muslims of Myanmar, persistent poverty and socio-economic backwardness of Muslim societies are OIC priorities. 

The way the CFM is addressing these issues are through resolutions and proposals regarding political, economic, social, cultural and family affairs issues that are now under finalisation, he said.

The meetings of the Permanent Finance Committee, Economic, social, cultural and Family Affairs Commission (ICECS), and the Senior Officials in Jeddah this month have largely discussed these resolutions seeking to find solutions and approaches to the ongoing problems of the Muslim Ummah. 

"We see these issues being approached under four broad ranges of draft resolutions: those relating to peace, conflict resolution, mediation and security; those relating to OIC economic and development agenda; those relating to minorities and humanitarian questions and those relating to OIC reforms," said the State Minister. 

The Bangladesh International Institute of Strategic Studies (BIISS) organised the seminar. The Rohingya problem in its humanitarian and human rights aspects is going to get prominence. 

There will be a separate sideline session on the humanitarian challenges of the Muslim world with special focus on the Rohingyas on May 6, and prior to that a visit to the Rohingya makeshift camps in Cox’s Bazar will take place on May 4.

A comprehensive reform of the OIC and its system is a crying need of the day both for greater efficiency, dynamism and clout of the Organisation, said the State Minister. 

"Bangladesh along with some other brotherly countries are working hard with their thoughts and proposals for OIC reforms in a number of areas," he said.

These are rules and procedures, organisational and Secretariat issues, their roles and mechanisms, recruitment rules, transparency initiatives, efficiency enhancement, observership and operationalisation of a number of new statutes, bodies and institutes are coming under these efforts. 

"Discussions on these are going to take place in Dhaka," said the State Minister. 

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