The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed its readiness to cooperate with UNESCO in combatting intentional destruction and illegal trafficking of the cultural heritage in the countries affected by armed conflicts, which are crimes incited by destructive ideologies. OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen in an address to the 39th session of UNESCO's General Conference held in Paris, on 6 November 2017, applauded UNESCO's call for cultural heritage protection to be included in world programs and in the tasks of the peacekeeping missions. The Secretary General noted that key among the topics of interest to the OIC is the combat against the phenomena of terrorism and violent extremism along with the tackling of religious and sectarian fanaticism. He points to the fact that in this respect, the OIC has launched its "Voice of Wisdom" project, which seeks to stand up to extremist discourse and to spread the concepts of tolerance and moderation. In addition, the OIC seeks to raise awareness among the youth as to the dangers of joining ranks with terrorist groups. On another front, the OIC Secretary General strongly condemned the policies of the Israeli occupation power and its persistent attempts in occupied East Jerusalem to alter and disfigure its demographic layout with a view to isolate it from its authentic Palestinian environment. He therefore called on UNESCO to take the necessary and appropriate steps, within its mandate and responsibility, to ensure the protection and preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of the State of Palestine and to impress on Israel the need to put an end to its ongoing violations. --More 19:22 LOCAL TIME 16:22 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1685047
