KUALA LUMPUR, March 29, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Seeking a better and more developed Muslim world, chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Conference countries (OIC) outlined Tuesday, March 29, seven initiatives involving seven host countries, to be implemented as capacity building program for the Organisation.
OIC Chairman, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Malaysian Prime Minister launched, also Tuesday, three poverty alleviation projects as phase one of the program, Bernama News Agency reported.
“We hope Phase Two can be launched before too long,” he said in his address at the launching of the capacity building program for OIC countries in Kuala Lumpur.
He further stressed that the capacity building program must become a permanent feature of OIC economic cooperation.
As a philosophy, he said, the program was also intended as an exercise in reform and renewal with the purpose of creating a better life through good governance.
“We need to erase the image that a large part of the Muslim world is a world of backwardness, ignorance and violence.
“We need to change ourselves and institute a process of change from within. The time for lament and blaming others for our misfortunes is over,” he said.
Self-improvement
Abdullah said as a small nation still grappling with problems of maintaining economic growth, Malaysia’s ability to directly help other Muslim countries was limited.
However, he pointed out that Malaysia was ever ready and willing to share its ideas, experiences and expertise in social engineering and economic development.
The projects include promoting the palm oil industry in Sierra Leone, the resources sector in Mauritania and the fisheries industries in Bangladesh.
Four other projects in Guinea, Comoros, Indonesia and Maldives are expected to be geared up later.
He said the program should serve as a challenge to both detractors of OIC and OIC members that the 57-member organisation was indeed capable of undertaking concrete actions outside the realm of pure politics and diplomacy.
Modest Beginning
The OIC chairman said the capacity building program represented a modest beginning towards dealing with the problem of global poverty, especially with over one billion people getting on by less than US$1 per day, mainly in Muslim countries.
He further pointed out the United Nations had reported that out of the 50 least developed countries, 22 were OIC member countries.
“Therefore, it was incumbent upon OIC members to contribute towards reduction of global poverty by half by 2015 as envisioned under the UN’s Millennium development goal (MDG) target.”
The project-oriented program is not premised on the availability of grant aid or international funding but self-help.
It would involve normally three parties, namely the country hosting the project, one or two OIC member countries volunteering assistance in the form of funds or expertise and the private sector participating on a commercial basis.
The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) will be an important partner through the provision of financing for projects on easy terms, according to Bernama.
Abdullah conceived the idea of instituting the program upon becoming Prime Minister and later assuming the chairmanship of OIC at its 10th Summit in Putrajaya last year, Bernama said.
The OIC was established in Rabat, Morocco, on 12 Rajab 1389H (25 September 1969) in the wake of the criminal arson perpetrated 21 August 21, 1969 by Zionist elements against Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem).
In March 1970, the first meeting for OIC foreign ministers was held in the Saudi city of Jeddah and set up a permanent General Secretariat, to ensure a liaison among member states and charged it to coordinate their action.
In the meeting, the top diplomats appointed a secretary general and chose Jeddah as the headquarters of the OIC, pending the liberation of Al-Quds, which would be the permanent host.
Malaysia, one of the most progressive OIC members, took the rotating chairmanship of the world’s largest Muslim political organization in October 2003.
It will hold the post until 2007, a year longer than originally scheduled because Senegal won't be ready to take over in 2006.
Promoting Trade
The OIC program move came as the Pakistani federal minister for Industries, Production and Special Initiatives urged the Muslim Ummah (nation) to form mutual business partnerships among the OIC countries to meet the world economic challenges, Pakistani Daily Times said Monday, March 28.
Jehangir Khan Tareen said “there are 57 countries in the OIC with the population of 1.4 billion people which is around 23 percent of world total.
“Our gross domestic income is around $1,250 billion, which is mere 4 percent of the world and regretted that per capita income in OIC is only 1/6 of world average,” he added, addressing the inaugural session of a five-day OIC workshop organized by the small and medium development authority (SMEDA), the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
“Muslim countries needed to enhance level of entrepreneurship and investment to improve this situation,” the minister said.
“We have a wide pool of trained manpower, excellent infrastructure and friendly environment”, he said, expressing keen interest to partner with all the agencies and institutions working for the SME sector development in the Islamic countries.