OIC: The Youth in Member States Account for 500 Million
08/01/2018- The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held an Experts Meeting at its headquarters in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on the OIC’s Strategy for Youth, on 8-9 January 2018.
The meeting, being attended by the members of the OIC Joint Standing Committee on Youth Affairs, is chaired by Amb. Salih Matlu Sen, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Turkey to the OIC, with the participation of Amb. Hesham Yousef, Assistant Secretary General for Cultural, Humanitarian and Family Affairs as well as Mr. Ershad Skandarov President of the Muslim Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation, and Mr. Mohamed Ben Salah Al Karnas, Secretary General of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation.
Amb. Hesham delivered a statement on behalf of H.E. the OIC Secretary General, Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, in which he noted that the first draft of the OIC Youth Strategy, elaborated after the 2014 First Ministerial Youth Conference held in Jeddah, will be submitted to the next Youth Ministers Conference in Azerbaijan, in May 2018. He invited the Islamic Centre for Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training (SESRIC) in Ankara to incorporate the observations contributed by Member States over the past period in order to finalize the draft.
Amb. Hesham indicated that the OIC youth community accounts for 500 million, which accords the Muslim World a prime demographic position that must be put to optimal use for the benefit of the OIC Member States’ development and reform.
The participants discussed the youth strategy document in light of the resolutions and recommendations issued by the relevant Islamic summits and ministerial conferences, so as to finalize the document prior to its submission to the next Islamic Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers due to be held in Baku, for adoption as a reference document for the Islamic world. One of the priorities established in the OIC Ten-Year Program up to 2025 is in the area of youth empowerment for the benefit of peace, solidarity and development.