The Secretary General of the Organization of The Islamic Conference (OIC), Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, held on Saturday 14th June 2008 in Jeddah, a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The meeting came on the occasion of the official visit conducted by the UN Secretary General to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Talks between the two officials touched on a myriad of issues of common interest. They discussed the recent agreement signed in Djibouti between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS). Ban Ki-moon expressed his appreciation for the role played by the OIC delegation, which contributed to the success of the mediation efforts and the delegation's cooperation with the United Nations during the two rounds of negotiations. He pointed out that such cooperation efforts reflect a model for the effectiveness of cooperation and coordination between the OIC and the UN, in particular in relation to issues linked to the Muslim world.
The discussions highlighted the looming world food crisis. Professor Ihsanoglu expressed OIC's willingness and readiness to cooperate with the international community in a bid to overcome the crisis. For his part, Ban Ki-moon affirmed that the international community has shown cooperation that will no doubt prove fruitful over the short run. Still, working out a radical solution to the crisis would entail longer time and greater concerted efforts by the international community.
Talking about the energy issue and the surging oil price, the two officials lauded the invitation extended by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, to convene a global conference with the participation of both energy consumers and producers. The OIC Secretary General and Ban Ki-moon expressed their optimism that the conference would yield a positive outcome.
The two officials devoted part of their discussions to the phenomenon of Islamophobia. Professor Ihsanoglu shed light on the phenomenon, its root causes and OIC's efforts to tackle it. He emphasized the need for OIC and the UN to cooperate to ensure that international resolutions are issued to counter Islamophobia and combat hate campaigns and defamation against religious beliefs and sacred symbols. He added that efforts need to be deployed to disseminate a culture of tolerance and respect for the 'Other' as well as support constructive dialogue among civilizations. He continued by pointing out the key importance of translating all efforts and initiatives bearing on the issue into a genuine political will.
The two officials also praised the initiative launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to hold a forum on interfaith dialogue in Mekkah recently. The OIC chief expressed his conviction that the initiative will boost efforts slated to project the real image of Islam, stating that other meetings will follow in the same vein in order to support and promote a culture of tolerance and dialogue and effectively contribute to the consolidation of peace and security in the world.