Iran Hosts 2nd Ministerial Meeting of OIC-15 Dialogue Platform

The OIC delegation, led by Ambassador Aftab Ahmad Khokher, Assistant Secretary-General for Science and Technology, attended the 2nd Ministerial Meeting of the OIC-15 Dialogue Platform, held in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran, under the title “Innovation in Science and Technology through Harnessing AI: a Strategy for Excellence, A Bright Future for the Islamic World”.

The Meeting brought together the Ministers of Science, Technology, and Higher Education and high-ranking representatives of a number of the OIC-15 Dialogue Platform’s Member States, including Malaysia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, and Qatar. Representatives of non-OIC-15 countries, such as Brunei Darussalam and Uzbekistan, attended the event as the host country’s guests.

The Ministerial Meeting was opened by the Minister of Science, Research and Technology of Iran, who emphasized the critical importance of developing Artificial Intelligence technologies and awareness about them in the Islamic world for making it technologically competitive worldwide.

The First Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran closed the inaugural session by briefing the participants about the massive progress that his country had made over the past 46 years in the field of science and higher education. He also paid particular attention to the role of youth and women in scientific and technological advancement.

The OIC Assistant Secretary-General, in his remarks, stressed that the OIC-15 Dialogue Platform had become an integral part of the entire OIC Agenda in the domain of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).

He also noted that the Dialogue Platform is still evolving towards transformation into an influential forum to elevate the OIC community’s global standing in scientific and technological development, with the ultimate goal of strengthening the position of OIC Member States in the world.

 In this regard, Ambassador Aftab Ahmad Khokher underscored that the Dialogue Platform’s effectiveness is to be measured by tangible joint actions and outcomes. He further called on the Member States of the OIC-15 Dialogue Platform to pursue a realistic, shared vision, and demonstrate a strong commitment to the OIC STI Agenda.

In the course of the Ministerial Meeting’s plenary session, Heads of delegations delivered statements with the focus upon achievements of their respective countries in the field of Artificial Intelligence and calls for broader intra-OIC interaction in this field and other science domains. The Ministerial Meeting concluded its activity by adopting the Tehran Declaration.