By APP,
Washington : The United States has offered to establish ten digital libraries in Muslim countries as part of collaborative efforts to help the Organization of Islamic Conference pursue scientific and technological advancement.
U.S. presidential envoy to the 57-member OIC, Sada Cumber is working with the representative body of the Muslim world to materialize the idea to the direct benefit of people.
“The Muslim world needs science and technology incubators — the OIC countries need to have access to information. Since America is the hub of information, we are committed to launch 10 digital libraries in 10 (less developed) countries, that will give them access to millions of publications on science, technology and social sciences,” he stated at a roundtable at the Foreign Press Center.
Significantly, entrepreneurs in the Muslim countries will also benefit from the facilities as they will be able to have instant access to information and therefore be better-placed to become part of the knowledge economy, he said.
Appointed by President George Bush as America’s voice to the Muslim body early this year, Cumber said he has been striving to concretize some of the ideas proposed by leaders and intelligentsia during his recent travels to the Islamic capitals.
Cumber, who is a Pakistani American, has already met with head of the OIC Commission for Science and Technology, Dr Atta ur Rehman in Islamabad and coordinates efforts with the OIC envoy to the United Nations.
Following the interest shown by the OIC, the U.S. will also collaborate in training its election observers so that the OIC teams may send its own teams to observe elections in the Muslim countries, he informed. In this respect, an OIC delegation is expected to be invited to observe the U.S. presidential poll later this year.
In addition, the U.S. has agreed to engage in vocational training for young people in African, Central Asian, South Asian, the Middle East and North African countries, the envoy added.
Education, health and science and technology are among the areas the OIC has prioritized for development of Muslim populations.
“The U.S. role is only to facilitate the OIC in pursuing its plans and not impose anything,” the envoy emphasized.