By IINA
Jeddah : The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu inaugurated the opening session of an open-ended working group meeting on the OIC Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women (OPAAW), which was held on April 6 and 7 at the headquarters of the OIC General Secretariat here. Prof. Ihsanoglu noted in his speech that “Islam preached chastity and respect for women and emphasized strong moral values to make good mothers and partners in development”. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the conditions of women in our societies, whereby, they have become victims of abuse, domestic violence, exploitation, and injustice.
The Secretary General also stated that women make up for almost half of the population of the Muslim Ummah, and therefore, it is our sacred duty to ensure their empowerment and rehabilitation in accordance with the teachings of Islam”. He further urged the representatives of the Member States in this meeting to study further the draft OPAAW so that it may be presented to the next Ministerial Meeting in Egypt in November 2008 for adoption, according to an OIC statement.
The OPAAW was formulated by the OIC Member States to pursue goals and strategies on women’s affair advancement. The OPAAW was one of the major outcomes of the First Islamic Ministerial Conference on Women’s Role in the Development of OIC Member States convened in Istanbul in November 2006. The meeting discussed various issues pertaining to women development in the Member States, an area which was addressed by the OIC Ten Year Program of Action adopted by the Third Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference held in Makkah in December 2005.