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Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
Mr. Chairman,
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me, at the outset, convey the warm greetings
of His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah,
our Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade to all
members.
I wish to join others in expressing our
appreciation to His Excellency President Yoweri
Kaguta Museveni for graciously officiating this
Session with his very inspiring Address.
May I congratulate Your Excellency Minister Sam
Kutesa, on assuming your responsibilities as the
Chairman of our Session. I am confident that
under your able stewardship, we will achieve
greater success in addressing issues of interest
to us. I also wish to thank our outgoing
Chairman, Pakistan, for their fine leadership
and valuable contribution.
It gives me great pleasure to be in this
beautiful city of Kampala and the scenic resort
of Munyonyo. My appreciation goes to the
Government and people of Uganda, for their warm
hospitality and excellent arrangements.
I also wish to congratulate our Secretary
General His Excellency Professor Ekmeleddin
Ihsanoglu on the extension of his tenure of
office. This is a recognition of his capability
and efficiency in carrying out his work for the
Organization.
Mr. Chairman,
The recent adoption of the Amended OIC Charter
by our Leaders in Senegal is a manifestation of
our collective will to move forward. This is
very timely as our Organization will turn 40
next September. Its ratification will be a
testimony of our commitment to ensure that the
OIC remains relevant and can project our unity
and solidarity.
We are encouraged by the growing momentum to
foster our joint actions. What we aim to achieve
is a brighter, more prosperous and dignified
future. So, we should continue to move in the
direction set by our Leaders at their 3rd
Extraordinary Summit, as documented in our
Ten-Year Programme of Action. Our objectives
here are also in line with the universal targets
of the Millennium Development Goals.
We acknowledged that some progress has been made
by member countries. However, there are others
in this Continent who are still facing
difficulties in achieving these Goals. As our
Programme of Action has also given special
attention to the African region, we feel the OIC
can collaborate more closely with the UN. The
launching of the MDGs Africa Steering Group and
the convening of the High Level Meeting on
Africa’s Development Needs this September, will
hopefully bring about further progress.
Mr. Chairman,
Many factors could pose adverse impacts on our
development goals. They can be political,
economic, environmental or caused by natural
calamities. The tragic consequences of the
recent natural disasters in Myanmar and China
have reminded us of how vulnerable we can be.
Hence, we see the importance of collective
efforts and support by the international
community.
The surging inflation resulting from the price
increase of commodities and its impact on global
economic growth have triggered worldwide concern
as this would affect our development strategies.
We are encouraged by the various international
efforts to address the current apprehension on
energy security, including the initiative of the
Saudi Government to host a Meeting involving
major oil producers and consumers in Jeddah in a
few days’ time.
On food security, we welcome the outcome of the
recent High Level World Conference in Rome and
support the emphasis to step up food production
and reduce trade restrictions. I think the
Islamic Development Bank and the Islamic Centre
for Development of Trade can assist member
countries in their efforts to expand agriculture
and food production.
We also look forward to a successful conclusion
of the WTO Doha Development Agenda and hope to
see further removal of trade barriers.
Mr. Chairman,
The situation in the Middle-East remains a grave
concern to all of us. We therefore welcome all
efforts to find lasting peace in the region so
that socio-economic development can be promoted.
The core of the Middle-East situation remains to
be the Palestinian issue. We are saddened by the
deteriorating condition of the Palestinian
people. They have been continuously denied
access to many basic necessities. We support the
efforts towards easing their sufferings and
reiterate our solidarity with them on their
legitimate struggle for an independent state.
Mr. Chairman,
Another issue of concern is the increasing
incidents of Islamophobia. We need to take a
proactive and firm stance in countering it and
hence, we commend the valuable work of our
Secretary General. We appreciate the OIC's
efforts in disseminating messages of moderation
and tolerance as well as building bridges of
dialogue with other religions, cultures and
civilizations. We know it is not an easy task
for the OIC to address this alone. The
participation of all concerned is required,
including government officials, academicians,
media personalities, NGOs as well as the youth
groups.
Equally important is for us to strive for high
quality education and training designed to
promote creativity, research and innovation for
our younger generation. I believe our
Organization is in the position to help member
countries achieve them through the various
measures in our Programme of Action.
Mr. Chairman,
In view of the complexity of challenges faced,
we need to intensify further our cooperation.
Our existing strong sense of solidarity and
unity of purpose will help us to pursue
relentlessly the OIC’s lofty aims and
objectives. I would therefore like to reaffirm
Brunei Darussalam's support and commitment to
our Organization and the well being of the
Islamic Ummah.
Thank you.
Wabillahit taufiq walhidayah, wassalamu ‘alaikum
warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
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