10th edition of Holy Sites Journey Program for Youth Concludes its Activities l

The “Journey to the Holy Sites in Islam for Youth of Arab and Islamic Countries” organized by the Ministry of Sports of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in coordination with the OIC General Secretariat and the Secretariat of the League of Arab States, successfully concluded the tenth edition of the Journey to the Holy Sites program with an official closing ceremony held in Jeddah, in the presence of H.E. Mr. Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Musad, Undersecretary for Sports Affairs, representing His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the Fifth Session of the Islamic Conference on Youth and Sports Ministers (ICYSM), as well as the officials from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and representatives from OIC General Secretariat and the League of Arab States.

In his closing statement, H.E. the Undersecretary for Sports Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed his thanks to the Member States that sent participants, the OIC General Secretariat and the Secretariat of the League of Arab States for their coordination with the Ministry of Sports which contributed to the success of the program. He urged the participants to serve as ambassadors of Saudi Arabia’s transformative services to pilgrims upon their return to their home countries. He also expressed the readiness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to continue this initiative and to organize other similar programs and activities for the benefit of the Youth in the Arab and Islamic Countries in the framework of Islamic joint action.

Speaking on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary-General of the OIC, H.E. Ambassador Tariq Bakheet, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural and Social Affairs, stressed that the program serves as a model of intra-OIC cooperation, reflecting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment to nurturing the youth of the Islamic world.

Amb. Tariq highlighted that the OIC General Secretariat will take the necessary steps to report on the immeasurable efforts undertaken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in organizing this ten-day program for the benefit of young people from Arab and Muslim countries at the highest levels, namely the Islamic Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers, the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Islamic Summit.

The closing ceremony also featured remarks by H.E. Minister Plenipotentiary Mr. Faisal Al-Ghasal, Representative of the League of Arab States, and included a dialogue session on the role of youth in providing services to pilgrims. The session was addressed by Dr. Shams Alsaby, Director General of Youth Activities at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sports, and Mr. Rakan Almaddah, Vice President of the Kingdom Discovery Sector at the Pilgrims Experience Program (PEP).