The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani, expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the 15th Session of the OIC Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), which concluded its works in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, Wednesday, 1 June 2016. Madani commended the Member States that support COMSTECH's work, particularly Pakistan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Iraq, Egypt, Azerbaijan and Brunei-Darussalam. He also expressed confidence that Member States would continue to support COMSTECH in the implementation of its objectives, programs and overall activities. Furthermore, Madani asserted that cooperation on science, technology, innovation, and in other economic, humanitarian, social, and cultural areas, can only be built in an environment of trust, mutual confidence and respect between Member States. Full commitment to the provisions of the OIC Charter on non-interference in the internal affairs of a Member State, refraining from exporting ideologies and respect of each Member State's laws and judiciary system, as reaffirmed by the Thirteenth Islamic Summit held in Istanbul, Turkey, two months ago, and the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers held in Jeddah in January 2016, are the foundation and building blocks for such environment, he added The Secretary General stressed the necessity for Member States to fulfill their budgetary obligations towards the General Secretariat and other OIC organs established by virtue of Summit resolutions. This, he said, would enable the OIC to play its role, discharge its responsibilities and implement Summit and ministerial conferences resolutions. The Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), under the chairmanship of the President of Pakistan was established by the Third Islamic Summit Conference held in Makkah al-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia in 1981 to follow up the resolutions of the Summit in this area; and to strengthen and integrate and enrich the efforts of Member States in scientific research, specialized training, policies, institutional set-up, services, and partnerships in the fields of science, technology and innovation. All OIC Member States are members of the COMSTECH, which has an Executive Committee consisting of: Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Qatar, Nigeria, Togo, Kazakhstan, Palestine, Pakistan, the OIC Secretary General, and the Coordinator General of the Committee. It also has a permanent secretariat based in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
