– Our Correspondent
Jeddah, October 30: Amid the continuing brutal aggression of Israel in the Gaza Strip, which has taken a toll of over 8,000 so far, including 3,324 children, the 58-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a discussion to finalize its Convention on the Rights of the Child here on Sunday.
The meeting was convened at its headquarters here, which is the third open-ended Intergovernmental Group of Experts Meeting to finalize the discussion of the draft.
According to the OIC, this crucial meeting was held against the backdrop of worsening security and humanitarian situations as well as the ongoing barbaric aggression by the Israeli occupation forces against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The meeting is being held under difficult and harsh circumstances, said Ambassador Tariq Ali Bakhit, OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural, and Social Affairs. These circumstances stem from the heinous massacres committed against civilians in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians and the injuries of thousands, the majority of whom were women, children, and the elderly.
He demanded that, given the seriousness of the situation, the document’s review and implementation procedures be completed and submitted to the upcoming Council of Foreign Ministers meeting for approval prior to any further action being taken.
He highlighted that the tolerant Islamic religion paid great attention to the rights of children, considering that they are the future of the Ummah and the youth of tomorrow. As a result, Islam has established comprehensive rights for children that cover all the different stages of their lives. Ambassador Bakhit expressed that the OIC Member States pay great attention to the rights of the child and look forward to the adoption of the OIC Convention on the Rights of the Child document as an international charter that is equal to other international human rights instruments, consistent with the teachings of Islam.
He also thanked Mauritania, the Chair of the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, and Egypt, the Chair of the Second Session of the Ministerial Conference on Social Development, for their efforts and continued support for the General Secretariat in order to follow up on the implementation of the OIC resolutions in this field.
