Water Scarcity is a Serious Issue for a third of the Muslim World

Egyptian President receives heads of Delegations participating in Cairo Water Conference

Water Scarcity is a Serious Issue for a third of the Muslim World The Secretary General of the Organization objectives of the OIC. Al-Othaimeen then of the second meeting of the Water Counof Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. expressed gratitude to the Egyptian Water cil. Al-Othaimeen, stressed that water security Resources and Irrigation Minister, His ExcelIt is worth mentioning that the Secretaryhas become a prerequisite for achieving suslency Mohamed Abdel Aty and his team for General expressed his thanks to the Arab tainability and for ensuring health and prosthe excellent organization of the second Republic of Egypt, praising the “wise leaderperity of the OIC Member States. meeting of the OIC Water Council and for ship of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah He also pointed out that achieving growth the hospitality extended to the delegations El-Sisi and his vision for the advancement of in almost every economic sector depends on of the participating states. the Egyptian economy”. He also appreciatthe availability of water resources. Addressing the second meeting of the OIC ed the outstanding efforts exerted by Egypt The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Water Council, held in Cairo on 22 Octoto achieve OIC goals and objectives. His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, ber 2019, , the Secretary-General said that Furthermore, he thanked the Egyptian Minhad the Secretary General of the Organizawater scarcity is a source of great concern ister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Motion of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef to one third of the organization’s member hamed Abdel Aty, and his team for the exA. Al-Othaimeen during his visit to Cairo to states, which are located in dry or semicellent organization of the second meeting participate in the water conference. dry areas. Al-Othaimeen cautioned that of the OIC Water Council and the generous The Egyptian President welcomed the heads the growing population and the effects of hospitality extended to the delegations of of delegations participating in the “Cairo climate change on water provision have the participating States. Water Week” organized this year under the become one of the underlying causes of He urged all members of the OIC Water theme “Responding to water scarcity”. He conflict and a growing threats to people, Council to organize similar activities to reaffirmed Egypt’s keenness to organize and livelihoods and businesses throughout the raise awareness and promote cooperation host this event annually in order to enhance world. among Islamic countries. water awareness, encourage innovation The Secretary-General said that the OIC The Secretary-General said that the increasto meet the challenges of water, identify General Secretariat attaches high priority ing population of the world, the dwindling global initiatives and efforts exerted to adto enhancing cooperation in order to help water resources, the increasing pollution of dress those challenges and consider ways to OIC Member States find solutions to waterwater resources, in addition to the effects maximize cooperation mechanisms in the related challenges. of global warming are all factors that have water sector. Al-Othaimeen called upon Member States made reliable access to water as one of the For his part, the OIC Secretary General with technological and financial capabilities biggest problems facing humanity in the thanked the Arab Republic of Egypt, comto move forward to assist other disadvantwenty-first century. mending the wise leadership of His Exceltaged Member States in this field, taking It is noted that water-related issues are exlency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his into account the magnitude of water-relattremely important for OIC Member States. vision for the advancement of Egyptian ed challenges. He urged all stakeholders, inWater scarcity is a major concern in one third economy. He further commended Egypt’s cluding international organizations, to join of the Organization’s member states, which outstanding efforts to achieve the goals and hands to implement the recommendations are located in dry or semi-arid regions.

The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen, stressed that the General Secretariat in cooperation with its partners has focused on capacity building for both manufacturers and national regulatory authorities (NRAs), harmonization of standards, research collaboration and joint development among the OIC Members States. In this connection, he expressed appreciation to the National Agency of Drug and Food Control of the Republic of Indonesia for hosting the first-ever meeting of heads of medicine regulatory authorities of the OIC Member States (Jakarta, November 2018), encouraging all the Member States to support this initiative to promote effective regulation for medicine and vaccine pricing, combatting substandard and falsified medicines.

Addressing the opening session of the seventh Islamic conference of health ministers (Abu Dhabi, 16 December 2019), Dr AlOthaimeen pointed out that the OIC has developed a comprehensive health improvement plan, calling on the Member States to provide the necessary resources to implement the OIC Strategic Health Program of A Training Workshop organizaed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Vaccine Cold Chain Management was held on 01 October 2019 in Jakarta, Republic of Indonesia, under the patronage of H.E. Nila Moaloek, Indonesian Minister of Health. The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the OIC General Secretariat; World Health Organisation (WHO); some members of the diplomatic missions accredited to Indonesia; and other IndoneThe Sixth Annual Meeting of the Islamic Advisory Group for Polio Eradication (IAG) was held in Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt, on 4 September 2019, under the patronage of His Eminence the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Action (OIC-SHPA 2014-2023). He reviewed the progress made since the conference’s previous session (Riyadh, 5-7 December 2017), especially as regards noncommunicable diseases – such as cancer –, and communicable diseases, such as polio. Further, he commended the OIC institutions concerned, including COMSTECH, SESRIC, sian high-ranking officials. The training workshop was organized by the Ministry of Health of Indonesia in cooperation with the OIC General Secretariat and it was conducted by the newly launched OIC Centre of Excellence for Vaccines and Biotechnology products as part of the OIC efforts towards achieving self-reliance in the production of vaccines. H.E. the Secretary General, in a statement read out on his behalf by Amb. Askar MussiAl-sharief. Members of IAG, including representatives from the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Islamic Development Bank Group, World Health Organization and UNICEF, attended the Meeting. Representatives the IDB, ISESCO and IIFA for their efforts in implementing the OIC-SHPA. He also thanked such international partners such as WHO, IAEA, the Global Fund for fighting HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, GAVI, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that have cooperated with the OIC in furthering

its health agenda. nov, Assistant Secretary General for Science & Technology, called on the participants in the workshop to seize the opportunity and build useful networks for joint action to achieve self-reliance in the production and supply of quality, safe and affordable vaccines among the OIC Member States. He further underscored the centrality of health to the overall wellbeing and socio-economic

development of OIC Member States. of priority countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia) also attended the meeting that reviewed progress made in the fight against polio.

Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, stressed that the chaos currently affecting some Islamic Fiqh (jurisprudential) authorities due to the mushrooming modern communication networks and the ease of access to the public opened the way for religion hijackers to bombard the cyberspace with thousands of baseless fatwas that do not reflect moderate Islam. Rather, they serve sedition and confusion among Muslims. Addressing the 24th Session of the OIC International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) Conference hosted by the United Arab Emirates in Dubai on 3-4 November 2019, Al-Othaimeen stated that the chaotic status of fatwa in the Muslim world underlines the IIFA’s important role in addressing terrorism and extremism and forging applicable Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, praised the efforts of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), which contributed to meaningful cooperation among Member States by setting a unified standard for the Halal food sub-sectors. This was part of his speech at the 14th General Assembly Meeting of SMIIC held in Makkah, Al-Mukarramah, on 5 November 2019, delivered on his behalf by Amb. Ahmed Senyomo, the Assistant Secretary General for Ecoauthentic concepts that keep up with the pace of developments. In his speech, Al-Othaimeen also stressed that it is important for the IIFA to continue its significant role in uniting Muslims and harmonizing their jurisprudential and intellectual approaches in a bid to achieve Muslims’ unity and rapprochement. “The political and economic solidarity among Member States will be more feasible when there is a balanced and convergent intellectual and religious environment, which the IIFA can help provide,” added the OIC Secretary General. The OIC Secretary General called on the scholars participating in the 24th Session of the IIFA Conference to stand up to the extremists, the deluded, and the callers for sectarianism through further spreading the message of moderation and tolerance and sparing no effort to lead Muslims to the

true and noble essence of their religion. nomic Affairs. The Secretary General also commended SMIIC efforts in coordinating the collective responses of the OIC Member States regarding the development of standard specifications in the sectors of health, renewable energies, precious metals, jewelry, leather, tanning materials, petroleum products, textiles, and manufactured products, among others. Al-Othaimeen urged SMIIC secretariat to provide technical support and training to the interested Member States in order to raise awareness of the newly published or revised OIC- SMIIC Standards.

Celebrating Tunis as the Arab Region’s Capital of Islamic Culture 2019 The City of Tunis Tunis, the capital of the Republic of Tunisia, is located in the country’s North East. It hosts a wide range of civilizational landmarks including the Old City which covers around 75 hectares and the two peripheral quarters that had developed since the Middle Ages (Bab Souika District and Bab Al Jazira District) as well as a rising number of suburbs (some close, some less so). “Greater Tunis” includes the governorates of Tunis, Ariana and Manouba, and accounts for over two million and a half people representing around 25% of the overall Tunisian population. Tunis is the most prominent political, economic and administrative center in the country. For extended periods in history, Tunis has been an important trade center in the Mediterranean and in the Maghreb. It was conquered in the year 82 H/701 G by the Arab commander Hassan Ibn Noaman who raised it as a maritime military base to check the Byzantine attacks. He built it on the ruins of an ancient Lubic township known as “Tenis” or “Tershish”. The goal at that time was to use it as an advance post for the protection of Carthage. Many Arab literary figures tried to attach a meaning to its name (Tunis) by reference to the Arabic language. They hypothesized that it was given that name based on a tale according to which there happened to be a monk who lived in the vicinity and the Muslim caravans passing by used to seek rest beside his temple, enjoy the companionship of his melodious voice, and routinely observe: “This temple offers one good company”, and the name came thus to be linked to the place as “Tunis” (Arabic for “offers good company”). Arab reference books note that Hassan had favored Tunis for its closeness to Carthage, situated about ten miles North, and for its closeness to the sea of Rades (the Gulf of Tunis). And so he dug out a canal linking the City to the sea so that it may be used as a seaport and a centre for the Islamic fleet after he established in it a shipyard and recruited for it skilled workers from Egypt during the rule of Abdulaziz Ibn Marwan. Tunis inherited the ancient city of Carthage which turned into a small suburban village serving as a quarry for stones and marble as well as a large salt marsh. Tunis thus was the most important city in the land of Tunisia,

and Arab reference books started branding it as one of “The Twin Cities”, meaning Kairouan and Tunis. While the former was dominant in the Midland and the South, Tunis had the North in particular as its vital space, a position that was of a great benefit to her whether in terms of farmlands, quarries or crafts making it a center of attraction for the wealthy among the Arabs. It also benefited from its existing urbanized structure and more particularly from the road network, which linked it with all corners of the country, including Kairouan and other major cities like Bizerta, Beja, Tabarka, Kef, Tebessa and others. Some of the roads were of Roman origin. A Radical Change with the Aglabid Dynasty During the Aglabid era, Tunis witnessed a major urban development in the ninth century of the Christian era (third century of the Hegir) with the building of a fortification around it, the completion of the construction of the Grand Mosque of Zeitouna under Emir Abu Ibrahim Ahmed in the year 250 H/864 G which became one of the foremost centers of scholarly studies in the Islamic world, as well as one of the most active centers in the Maghreb, of no less importance than the mosques of Kairouan, Fez and Cordoba. Tunis was also among the major centers frequently rebelling against the rule of various governors. One of the best-known revolts recorded in history was the revolt of Mansour Al Tanbadhi who rose against the Aglabid dynasty and almost succeeded in vanquishing it in 824 G. The prestigious status of Tunis qualified it to assume the role of temporary capital whenever Kairouan was besieged or under severe pressure. Tunis, a Major Centre during the Fatimid and Zeirid Dynasties Following the fall of the Aglabid dynasty at the hands of the Fatimid Shiaa caliphate in 909 G, Tunis again witnessed a fresh urban development which continued under the Zeirids from whom it inherited, most importantly, a vast number of mosques and other edifices which are still standing, including additions to the Zeitouna Mosque like the vestibule arcade and the vestibule dome as reformation works well documented with engraved scripts. Among works attributed to the Zeirids we find Al Qarana baths, the Al Ishbili Mosque, and such other landmarks. We also find among the eminent figures whose names have been recorded in the City’s history the scholar Mihriz Bin Khalef (1022 G) hailed in history books as a virulent adversary of Shiaa and a fervent proponent of the Sunni doctrine and as a close advisor to Prince Al Moez Ibn Badiss. However, the city just like the rest of Ifriqiya (covering the entire Maghreb of today.), was not spared the Zeirid rule crisis which led to the Hilalis’ sweeping campaign that dismembered the country’s unity and led to its fragmentation into small sectarian princedoms. There emerged in Tunisia, then, a small emirate known as the Beni Kharasan Emirate, which was unquestionably a preeminent entity in Ifriqiya. The Kharasanids developed Tunis into an unrivaled city in the land, and in their time, the Zeitouna Mosque witnessed further additions that were documented on marble plaques, with the emergence also of new districts and majestic palaces including the Kharasani’s own palace built around the area of today’s AlQasr Mosque with the likelihood that it could have been erected at the spot where Dar Al Hussein is located today. The dome of the dynasty’s founder can still be seen in this district and is known as “Sidi Boukhrisan” near the current Saraya restaurant.

The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr Yousef AlOthaimeen, attended on Sunday 15 December 2019 the World Youth Forum, held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, on the theme “Current Challenges to International Peace and Security”. The Secretary General said in his speech at the opening session, also attended by H.E. Mr. Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s Foreign Minister that the topic of current challenges to international peace and security is of significant importance to the OIC, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. He also noted

OIC Youth Strategy The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held, on 3 October 2019 at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an open-ended meeting of the Steering Committee on Youth and Sports. The meeting, was held under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan as the incumbent chair of the 4th ministerial youth conference. The meeting discussed and adopted the draft Plan of Action for the implementation of the OIC Youth Strategy. Participants from Member States and OIC institutions reviewed and adopted the draft Plan prepared by the General Secretariat in collaboration with relevant OIC institutions. that the OIC is assuming a role of a unique nature, given that around 60% of the conflicts in the world are happening in the Muslim world. For several years now, the international scene has witnessed growing and expanding waves of hatred, extremism and terrorism, and witnessed a surge of armed terrorist groups, Dr Al-Othaimeen underlined. He went on to say that for the OIC, countering terrorism and violent extremism, sectarianism, and Islamophobia, are issues of top priority. He said that the OIC took the lead in deSecretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, issued a special message on World Children’s Day stressing that, on 20 November each year, the entire international community renews its commitment to the 1959 Declaration on the Rights of the Child adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child. They renew their pledge to defend, promote and celebrate their right to life, food and shelter, education, freedom of expression, and non-discrimination among others and translate them into dialogues and actions to create a better world for children, which ensures their rights and promotes their well-being. Al-Othaimeen added that, since children represent the greatest wealth of the world and the foundation for building the future, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has put childhood issues among its priorities, adopted various programmes to veloping relevant legal frameworks, adding that the OIC believes that countering violent extremism and terrorism cannot be achieved by security and military means alone, but that it requires identifying and addressing the origin and underlying the causes of these phenomena, using a comprehensive approach. He pointed out that the OIC, through Sawt Al-Hikma (Voice of Wisdom) Center, was contributing to the efforts aimed at combating hate speech, violence and extremism, and emphasizing moderation, justice, equality, tolerance, and

coexistence. address them, and held five Islamic conferences of ministers in charge of childhood in cooperation with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). The OIC General Secretariat, in cooperation with the ISESCO, has also drafted a comprehensive strategy on childcare and wellbeing in the Muslim world in implementation of the resolution of the 46th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Abu Dhabi in March 2019. This Strategy shall act as an implementation mechanism for the amended Covenant on the Rights of the Child in Islam. On this day, the OIC General Secretariat expresses its best wishes to the children of the world and wishes them a happy and prosperous future. The Secretary General concluded his statement with the following words: “It is important to remember that the future of childhood is our responsibility.”

In a message to the closing ceremony of the their robots in the Robo-Sumo as well as retary General for Science and Technology First OIC Robotics challenge, the Secretary Robo-Football contests. Prizes were awardemphasized the importance of science and General of the Organization of Islamic Coed to the top three teams of each category. technology for overcoming the challenges operation (OIC), Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, The competition was organized as part of of development, environment degradation, underscored the importance of analytical the implementation of ‘OIC STI Agenda health, energy shortages and water resourcand critical thinking and problem-solving 2026’ adopted by the First OIC Summit on es scarcity faced by the Muslim world. skills as key drivers of socio-economic Science and Technology held in Astana in He mentioned major achievements and growth and development in the Muslim September 2017. initiatives of the OIC in the fields of highcountries. Al-Othaimeen congratulated the On a separate note, the Organization of er education, health, science, technology participants of the First OIC Robotics ChalIslamic Cooperation held a Brainstorming and innovation, water and environment lenge and encouraged them to continue Meeting in Almaty – Kazakhstan on 19 Nopointing out OIC’s places special emphasis their pursuits for the path of science and invember 2019 to discuss the proposal of the on strengthening cooperation among the novation for a better and sustainable future. Founding President of the Republic of KaMember States for the promotion of sciThe First OIC Robotics Challenge was orzakhstan, H.E. Mr. Nur Sultan Nazarbayev, ence, technology, innovation, higher eduganized from 27-31 October 2019 in Tashto bring together 15 leading OIC Member cation and research. He thanked the Govkent, Republic of Uzbekistan in partnership States with strong credentials in the field of ernment of Kazakhstan for promoting the with the Uzbek Ministry of Innovative Descience, technology and innovation to sugobjectives and policies of the OIC. velopment and the OIC Ministerial Standing gest practical measures for helping other The meeting appreciated the ongoing initiaCommittee on Scientific and Technological Member States in their efforts for the detives and emphasized the need for increasCooperation (COMSTECH). velopment of science, technology and innoing intra-OIC collaboration for meeting the The three-day competition was open to vation under the banner “OIC-15 Dialogue targets set by OIC STI Agenda 2026 adoptyouth from OIC Member States to emphaPlatform”. ed by the First OIC Summit on Science and size the critical role of the young generation On behalf of the OIC General Secretariat, Technology held in Astana in September in our future. The participants displayed Ambassador Askar Mussinov, Assistant Sec2017. Call for Improving the Quality of Education

The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Othaimeen called on universities in the OIC Member States to improve their quality of education and enhance R&D in order to keep pace with world-class universities. The Secretary General made the call in a statement delivered on his behalf by H.E. Amb. Askar Musinov, Assistant Secretary General for Science & Technology, at the 27th Graduation Ceremony of the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) held on 09 November 2019 in Mbale, Republic of Uganda. The Secretary General congratulated the graduates and advised them to continue to upgrade their knowledge to keep abreast with the rapid technological advances. The ceremony was addressed by several officials from different countries who paid tribute to the OIC for its commitment to the promotion of higher education, science and technology among OIC Member States and for its unwavering support for the Islamic University in Uganda. Under the OIC patronage, the University has registered major achievements ranging from increased academic programs to enhanced modern infrastructure development. IUIU, which started off with only 88 students in 1988, now boasts over 10,245 students with seven faculties up from just two faculties at its inception. At this year’s graduation ceremony, a total of 2261 students were graduated with various awards ranging from certificates to PhD degrees.