By IINA,
Jeddah : The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu emphasized the paramount importance the OIC attaches to humanitarian works. The Secretary General stressed the pressing need for humanitarian institutions to embrace more systemic and institutional management models grounded in well-defined strategic plans liable to periodic re-evaluation. He made the remarks while addressing the third meeting of the General Assembly of the International Islamic Relief Agency (IIRO) held recently in Jeddah. Prof. Ihsanoglu’s statement came in the wake of the dedicated efforts he has deployed in a bid to reinvigorate the OIC’s work following the Dakar Summit held last March. The Summit marked a historical turning-point in the OIC’s progress with the adoption of an amended Charter.
The Secretary General’s participation in the IIRO meeting came on the heels of a visit he conducted to the UK during which he met with a number of British government officials as well as officials from UK-based Islamic associations, according to an OIC statement. Other activities by the Secretary General while in London included a lecture he delivered at the Center of Oxford University on Islam in Europe, notably the prominent role Islam played in past and present times. The time is now ripe, he stressed in his lecture, to ensure a historical reconciliation between Islam and Christianity with Europe likely to be an ideal launch pad for that reconciliation.