WORLD
OIC SECRETARY GENERAL MEETS WITH UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Baku, September 18 (AZERTAC). On the final day of his visit to Geneva the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Prof. Ekmeledin Ihsangoglu, met Ms. Navenathem Pillay the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He updated the High Commissioner on the establishment of the OIC Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights.
The Secretary General emphasized that the Commission would mark the beginning of a new Era at the OIC with the mainstreaming of Human Rights matters in the agenda and the work of the Organization. On the issue of Israeli aggression on the Freedom Flotilla, the Secretary General highlighted that the constitution of a fact finding Mission on the tragic episode by the Human Rights Council was upon the insistence and initiative of the OIC in accordance with the decision taken at the Meeting of the Executive Committee held in Jeddah. He informed the High Commissioner with regard to the OICs strong condemnation of the unfortunate hoax regarding Burning the Koran Day and emphasized the establishment of an Observatory at the Office of the High Commissioner in the interest of instituting an international Monitoring Mechanism to document such matters that posed grave danger to global peace, security and stability. He recalled that OIC had played a similarly active role in commissioning the Goldstone Report.
The Secretary General also raised other matters of importance to the OIC including the Resolution on Defamation of Religions assistance and support for the OICs Commission on HR to be established later this year.
The High Commissioner thanked the Secretary General for the updates and appreciated the increasing role of OIC under his dynamic leadership on matters of importance to global peace and security, particularly the Human Rights. She in turn informed the Secretary General with regard to progress on the Fact Finding Mission. Ms. Pillay assured full support and cooperation of her Office during and after the establishment of the OIC Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights. She assured to look into reviving the issue of the Observatory and requested for OIC participation as a Cross Regional Organization in all the forthcoming Regional Workshops o Incitement to Hatred. The meeting held at the Office of the High Commissioner ended with agreement on continuation of coordination and cooperation between the two bodies on all matters common to the respective agenda.