The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, emphasized that the role of the Islamic world in the face of an ever-evolving international scene, entails greater effort, vigilance, perseverance, and progress. In an address before the Senior Officials Preparatory Meeting to the 35th Session of the OIC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, held on Monday 5th May 2009, Ihsanoglu stressed that the OIC has shifted from merely organizing conferences that articulate recommendations, to becoming an interactive organization enjoying a platform of multiple links with international organizations. The OIC, he pointed out, is now involved in impactful initiatives and efforts and has linkage with governments and civil society institutions. He also reviewed in his speech a large palette of issues and challenges facing the Islamic world. He warned against losing the holy city of Al-Qods in case Israel sustains its attacks against the city, now that Israeli aggressions take on a systematic character and appear to embrace a carefully planned pattern. Ihsanoglu pointed out that the intensive efforts undertaken by the OIC Observatory on Islamophobia in tackling the Islamophobic campaign is starting to bear palpable fruit. Indeed, he continued, many people and institutions around the world realize today the gravity of the ramifications that might arise out of this phenomenon as far as global security and stability are concerned. The Secretary General called on the OIC Member States to devote greater attention and demonstrate stronger resolve in order to implement the stipulations of the Ten-Year Programme of Action (TYPOA), noting that the pace of progress is still quite slow. In parallel, he pointed up the importance of the Member States' commitment to the terms and conditions of OIC membership, particularly the signing and ratification of the new Charter and economic agreements, as well as meeting their financial obligations towards the OIC. On another level, both the State of Qatar and the Republic of Djibouti signed the OIC new Charter at a special ceremony. The representative of the Republic of Tajikistan, for his part, handed over to the Secretary General a ratification letter of the Charter. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya announced that it would ratify the Charter, expressing its intention to submit the ratification letter within a week's time. The Republic of Bangladesh confirmed that it would announce its ratification of the Charter at the upcoming meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) scheduled in Damascus, Syria, over 23 and 25 May 2009. The meeting adopted the agenda and program of action of the 36th CFM Session. Syria was elected as President of the Session's Bureau while Malaysia, the Republic of Guinea, and the State of Palestine as Vice-Chairmen and the Republic of Uganda as Rapporteur.
