The Meeting announced to have IRCICA as a host for the forthcoming Coordination Meeting to be held at its Premises in Istanbul in June 2014
I. Introduction
Pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 50/17 of 20 November 1995 and 65/140 of 16 December 2010, the General Meeting on Cooperation between the Secretariats of the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and their specialized organizations and agencies took place in Geneva from 1-3 May 2012.
Participation
The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and H.E. Ambassador Hameed Opeloyeru, OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs. Dr. Halit Eren, Director General of IRCICA has designated Dr Nezih Maruf, Director, Crafts Development Program to represent the Centre in this meeting.
United Nations System
Department of Political Affairs (DPA), UN Office in Geneva (UNOG), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCH A), UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA), Counter- Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP, including the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Register of Damage Caused by the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (UNRoD), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
OIC General Secretariat, OIC Permanent Observer Mission in New York, OIC Permanent Observer Mission in Geneva, Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation, Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), Islamic Centre for the Development of Trade (ICDT), Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Islamic Solidarity Fund (ISF), Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Islamic Committee of International Crescent (ICIC), OIC Youth forum/Islamic Conference Youth forum for Dialogue and Cooperation, Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF).
II. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND OUTCOME OF THE MEETING
Participants of the meeting welcomed the continuation of the strengthening of cooperation between the UN and the OIC in a diverse array of areas including the maintenance of international peace and security; economy, science and technology; and cultural and social issues. There was also a strong sense that the increasing and widespread calls for meaningful political, economic and social reforms in the Arab and Islamic world, particularly since the beginning of 2011, had created a changed context. As a consequence, participants expressed the view that both the work of the UN and the OIC as well as their cooperation needed to be adjusted to new realities.
The meeting took note of the Follow-up Report (2010-2012) on Cooperation between the UN and the OIC presented by the OIC. Both Organizations stated their commitment to pursue and reinforce cooperation in all areas of common interest, such as political, inter-cultural dialogue, the fight against terrorism, economic, humanitarian, science and technology, human development, social, cultural, human rights, and refugees.
During the discussions a number of key themes for further enhanced cooperation between the UN and the OIC emerged. These included the need and good potential to 1) collaborate more closely on promoting peace and security in different contexts – from conflict prevention to peace building, from peacekeeping to peacemaking peace processes in OIC countries, such as Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory; 2) addressing urgent humanitarian needs in OIC countries affected by man-made or natural disasters or by violent conflict, 3) more concerted efforts to mobilize resources for priority activities of both organizations, 4) foster economic and social reforms, and 5) promote intercultural dialogue .
The meeting agreed for the first time on a "Matrix of Activities within the Framework of UN-OIC Collaboration". The matrix describes concrete projects of cooperation that UN and the OIC commit to implement over the next two years and determines objectives, participating UN and OIC agencies, and timelines. The Matrix will also form the basis of the next report on UN-OIC cooperation that will be presented at the next general UN-OIC meeting in 2014, which the OIC agreed to host in Istanbul, Turkey.
Strengthen intercultural dialogue and cooperation 1) Strengthen dialogue with all relevant institutional and civil society actors on the building of pluralist and inclusive societies, (in particular through the UNAOC platform);
2) Support the adoption of UNAoC national and regional plans for intercultural dialogue and cooperation;
3) Further develop encouragement to innovative bridge-buiding initiatives by youth and civil society actors;
4) Further enrich action to address various aspects of the so-called West-Muslim divide
5) Step up programs that promote mutual knowledge and respect, including through the review of history books;
6) Expand support to youth grassroots initiatives designed to build bridges OIC GS, IRCICA,
ISESCO, ISSF, COMIAC UNAOC, UNESCO
1) Countering incitement and enhancing cultural dialogue 1) Follow up of the resolution of UNHRC No. 16/18;
2) Enhanced dialogue among cultures including but not limited to activities such as:
Linkages between cultural centers Publications
Projects on cultural heritage presentations
Enhanced involvement of youth in activities such as sports Dialogue with religious leaders Enhanced cooperation with regard to media literacy
3) Utilizing the consensus building in the UNHRC resolution 16/18 to explore the development of an integrated framework aimed at building on the consensus to develop an integrated framework of discussion on the whole package of interrelated issues through the Istanbul Process and other relevant processes.
4) Invite OIC to the UN expert workshop in Morocco on the prohibition of incitement to hatred
GS/DCAIPHRC
ISESCOIRCICA, ISSF, COMIAC
UNOHCHR,
UNESCO,
UNISDR,
UNICEF, ILO
CTED, CGTF,
UNAOC,
UNICEF
Promoting of democratization, good governance, human rights and rules of law 1) Support activities of independent permanent human rights commission including through study/orientation visits to relevant UN mechanisms in Geneva and New York.
GS/DCA, IPHRC,
ISESCO, IRCICA
OHCHR, ILO, UNICEF
Alliance of Civilizations
1) To work together in collaboration with other partners on a Plan of Action to address various aspects of the so-called "West- Muslim";
2) Strengthen coordination in combating intolerance, stereotypes, prejudices, discrimination and distortion of history, with a view to consolidating democratic institutions and human rights.
3) Implementation of projects on preservation of cultural heritage
4) Implementation of the project on the review of history books. GS/DCA, IRCICA, ISESCO, IDB UN AoC, UNESCO
Development of Arts, Crafts and Promotion of Heritage 1. Set up a "Book Hospital" at the historical Suleymaniye Library in Istanbul
2. Convene World Heritage Committee
3. To preserve architectural and urban conservation
4. To involve workshops, training programs and architectural schools attended by professors and students from various cultural backgrounds and role of history teaching in improving intercultural relations;
5. To propose a congress on Legal Protection of Arts and Crafts
6. To enhance a new series to be devoted to the ‘Architectural Heritage of Al-Quds and Palestine’ GS/DCA, IRCICA, ISESCO UNESCO
UNAOC WIPO
UNDP
Intellectual Property,
Innovation and Promotion 1) Holding a regional seminar on the
Intellectual Property in collaboration with the Turkish Patent Institute
2) Organizing a training Program on Innovation and Promotion with the Moroccan Industrial and Commercial Property Office (OMPIC) in Casablanca in 2013 and in the matter of geographical indications. ICDT, IRCICA
ICDT WIPO
WIPO
Promoting Tourism for sustainable development 1. Mobilization of funds for the Regional Project on Sustainable Development of Tourism in a Cross-Border Network of Parks and Protected Areas in West Africa
2. Promoting the role of cultural tourism in development ICDT, ISSF
IRCICA ISESCO, UNWTO, UNESCO, UNEP, SUSSC
Reviewing implementation of the UNAOC High Level Group Report to UNSG in November 2006 1) To work together in collaboration with other partners on a Plan of Action to address various aspects;
2) Strengthen coordination in combating intolerance, stereotypes, prejudices," discrimination and distortion of history, with a view to consolidating democratic institutions and human rights.
3) Implementation of IRCICA project on protection of cultural heritage.
4) Implementation of IRCICA-UNAOC project on review of history books. GS/CSA
IRCICA
ISESCO
IDB,
ISSF
IRCICA UN AoC UNESCO UNICEF, ILO
UNAOC
