Pakistan Embassy Comments on 48th Session of OIC's CFM

Pakistan remains deeply committed to the eternal Islamic virtues of amity and brotherhood. Promoting solidarity and cooperation among members of the Islamic Ummah, is not only a foundational basis of our foreign policy but also an element of faith for us.

The guiding principles of this vision were laid by the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who described Pakistan’s policy towards the Islamic States as one of abiding ‘friendship and goodwill’.

Over the years, Pakistan has remained true to these lofty ideals. Only two months after joining the UN (30 September 1947), Pakistan voted against the UNGA Resolution 181 (29 November 1947) on the partition of Palestine, as gross injustice to the Palestinian people.

Pakistan was also at the forefront of decolonization efforts at the UN and is proud to have stood by our brothers and sisters in Asia and Africa in their own struggle against colonialism in the 1950s and the 1960s.

As a founding member of the OIC, we believe that the best expression of solidifying Islamic solidarity is by further strengthening the organization as the representative voice of over 1.5 billion Muslims across the world.

Pakistan has a proud history of hosting major OIC events, including summits and Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meetings. We hosted the 2nd OIC Summit in Lahore in February 1974. An extraordinary OIC Summit was held in Islamabad in 1997 on the occasion of Pakistan’s Golden Jubilee.

Pakistan has also hosted the OIC CFMs on four occasions, the 2nd Session in December 1970, the 11th Session in May 1980, the 21st Session in April 1993, and the 34th Session in May 2007. The 1st and 17th Extraordinary Sessions of the OIC CFM were held in Islamabad, in January 1980 and December 2021, respectively.

It would be our distinct privilege to host the 48th CFM in Islamabad on 22-23 March 2022 (after a hiatus of nearly 15 years). This session will coincide with the 75th anniversary celebrations of Pakistan’s independence. We look forward to welcoming OIC Foreign Ministers to Pakistan on this ‘special’ occasion.

The Islamic world is faced with a plethora of challenges. The people of Palestine and the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir continue to be deprived of their inalienable right to self-determination. The rising tide of Islamophobia and hate speech threatens Muslim communities across many parts of the world. Millions of our Afghan brethren remain at the mercy of the elements and confront an uncertain future at the hands of hunger and disease. The deleterious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to be fully contained.

During our CFM Chair, Pakistan will sincerely endeavor to promote unity amongst the Member States, advance the cause of justice for Islamic peoples, and achieve the mutually reinforcing goals of prosperity and development for all OIC Member States. Ensuring full and complete recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic also remains a key priority for us.

The proposed theme of the 48th session, “Partnering for Unity, Justice and Development," fully encapsulates these priorities. We will seek to build ‘partnership’ across the Islamic world and build bridges of cooperation to address the myriad of challenges confronting the Ummah.

The range of issues before the 48th Session, is both broad-based and perse. Our discussions would encapsulate matters of peace and security, economic development, cultural and scientific cooperation, and revitalizing the role of the OIC, etc. Over 100 resolutions adopted during the session, will articulate the OIC perspective on major contemporary issues.

The session will also provide an opportunity to take stock of and review the decisions taken during the 17th extraordinary session, to alleviate the urgent humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

During our previous Chairmanship of the CFM in 2007-08, Pakistan led negotiations on the new OIC Charter – a manifestation of our conviction that the Organization must be kept attuned to the dynamic and fast-evolving needs of our times.

Pakistan will continue to work with the other OIC Member States towards harnessing our ‘collective ambition’ into ‘concrete action’ and taking tangible steps to further strengthen bonds of Islamic solidarity and cooperation.

We are confident that the 48th CFM will prove to be a landmark session in our combined efforts to chart a joint Islamic way forward. On our part, Pakistan remains committed to supporting all efforts aimed at promoting unity, brotherhood, and prosperity amongst the Muslim worlds.

Egypt is an important country in the Muslim world and its contributions are widely acknowledged and appreciated. We look forward to Egypt’s participation at the highest level.