“The Presidency Meeting was held on the 4th day of the Second Consultation Meeting of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Member States Red Cross / Red Crescent institutions under the hosting of ICIC and Turkish Red Crescent. The presidents of Red Crosses and Red Crescents of 49 countries participated in meeting in the opening of which Secretary General of the OIC Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu participated and made a speech.
Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), in his speech in the opening the meeting, asked the Red Crosses and Red Crescents in the OIC Member States to broaden their cooperation with Islamic Committee of International Crescent (ICIC) and to reinforce it to create a mechanism which responds to the needs where necessary.
In the meeting held in Grand Cevahir Hotel with the slogan of “Time to talk differently” İhsanoğlu stated that the Turkish Red Crescent is one of the oldest and most important Red Crescents with its history of 140 years, that it serves its best to alleviate human sufferings in the world, and that it creates a very nice example.
Emphasizing that they are human beings who suffer a lot from the natural disasters in the last years in the OIC Member States, İhsanoğlu kept on his speech as follows:
“For instance, the blood shed in Iraq seems as if it would never end. Children, women and the old were left without any food or shelter. The life in Palestine became harder with Israel’s violation of international humanitarian law defined by Geneva Convention. The Israeli attacks that kill civilians including women and children still continues. Besides, the gas and electricity cutbacks make the lives of Palestinians harder.
Secretary General of OIC Mr. İhsanoğlu: “Let the Red Crosses and Red Crescents in the OIC Member States strengthen their cooperation with the Islamic Committee of International Crescent (ICIC) to create a mechanism which responds to the needs where necessary.”
Emphasizing the need for the volunteers of Red Crescent to be there in order to provide food and shelter on the one side while the political talks continue on this issue on the other, Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu said: “I would like to make a call for Red Crosses and Red Crescents in the OIC Member States to broaden and strengthen their cooperation with the Islamic Committee of International Crescent (ICIC) to create a mechanism which responds to the needs where necessary. This mechanism will also help Muslim refugees return their homes in dignity and safely.”
Stressing the rise in food prices in the world, İhsanoğlu expressed that this would cause problems in most of the populations of developing countries, that 21 out of 36 countries experiencing the crisis were African countries, and he hoped that the humanitarian organizations and donators from the member countries would be generous to create sources that would help ICIC to fulfill its mission with a feeling of mercy and fraternity. In addition, İhsanoğlu said there would be a new department in the OIC that would make humanitarian organizations cooperate in the field of humanitarian aid it would contribute to the transfer of financial aids from donators, international organizations and member states.
President of TRCS Mr. Küçükali: “It is Undeniable Fact That There Are Serious Problems in the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law.”
The President of Turkish Red Crescent Society stated that ICIC, being founded in 1982 and one of the sub commissions of OIC, would play a more important role in humanitarian work and the solution of problems as a more operative institution.
Küçükali recorded that the disturbances and conflicts occurring in this century resulted from the weakening of the culture of living together. Pointing out that the man-made and natural disasters rise in the OIC geography as in the whole world, Küçükali said it was necessary for Red Crosses and Red Crescents to reach out these regions rapidly and effectively.
Tekin Küçükali kept on his words as: “The sufferings in the geographies in gripping pain such as Iraq, Palestine, Sudan and Lebanon show that there are a lot to do to raise the efficacy and speed of humanitarian aid as well as promoting the dialog and tolerance among civilizations. To accept this reality is the prerequisite of efforts not to see those pains again and having the first steps for a future full of peace and tranquility. Yet, it is an undeniable fact that there are serious problems about the implementation of international humanitarian law. Unfortunately, we witnessed this with the human dramas in Iraq and Palestine lastly.”
Reminding that the whole world gave a helping hand for victims of Tsunami known as the disaster of the century where 240 thousand people lost their lives, Küçükali said; “Our main objective should be to protect human dignity in all conditions and places and at all times.
President of ICIC Mr. Buhedma: Immediate Action is Necessary
On the other hand, President of ICIC Mr. Buhedma said that ICIC established via an agreement in the OIC member states foreign ministers meeting was founded with the purpose of being a means to be used in humanitarian aid activities.
Stating that more aid provision by means of Islamic Shari'a for victims of war via more Muslim countries participating in ICIC, Buhedma said it was ordered by Koran to cooperate for good purposes but it was prohibited at times of war and conflict. Recalling that people suffer in Sudan, Palestine and Afghanistan and that Israeli attacks aimed at civilians and the infrastructure in Palestine, Buhedma emphasized that there were great hardships in Somali and Iraq and this situation needed immediate action. Claiming that Muslim countries suffered more from natural disasters in previous years, Buhedma said it was very important that there be a stability in OIC member states to alleviate human sufferings.
Ambassador Göğüş: Turkish Aids Increased in Quality and Ouantity
Ambassador Hasan Göğüş who made a speech in the meeting representing the Foreign Ministry of Turkish Republic, stated that the hosting of such a meeting by the Turkish Red Crescent was a great honor for Turkey. Stressing that the most important thing in humanitarian aid was coordination and cooperation, pointed out that especially in OIC geography, solidarity becomes more important in humanitarian work.
Music Feast
The music feast by Okay Temiz rhytym band at the beginning of the meeting was appreciated by the participants. The artist and his friends' show was applauded a lot by the audience. “The 2nd Consultation Meeting of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies” in which the presidents of Red Crosses and Red Crescents in 49 member states of ICIC and the technical boards of 57 Muslim states participated will end tomorrow after the announcement of the Istanbul Declaration. |
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