Jeddah
On the occasion of the World Refugee Day, marked every year on June 20, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen, commended the Member States’ contribution to hosting refugees and continuously maintaining their firm commitment to providing protection for refugees as a sacred obligation imposed by Islam’s magnanimity, human nature and as relevant national and international laws.
In this connection, he called on the international community to grant the necessary assistance to refugee-hosting Member States as required by the principles of fair partnership.
This year’s World Refugee Day comes in the difficult context of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its negative impact, he underlined, emphasizing the importance of intensifying and coordinating effective efforts to cushion the adverse effects of the coronavirus crisis on refugees.
The Secretary General went on to stress the need to address the root causes of displacement across the Muslim world at the political, social and humanitarian levels, drawing attention to its adverse impact on women and children in particular.
“The OIC remains firm in its commitment to coordinate and cooperate on all related aspects of this issue with relevant regional and international organizations, most notably the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as provided for in the cooperation agreement between the Organization and the UNHCR,” he underscored.
As well as highly commending UNRWA, with its important mandate to relieve the ordeal of Palestinian refugees, the Secretary General called on the international community and the Member States to respond to the Agency’s appeals for support to continue delivering the necessary services to the Palestinian refugees, to ensure enjoyment of their right to return as per internationally-agreed resolutions.
The OIC will continue its efforts to establish the Endowment Fund for Palestinian Refugees to support UNRWA in key role as service provider, he further stressed.—Agencies
