Jeddah (INA) – The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, affirmed that youth issues are a priority in the agenda of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and that the Islamic world is blessed with a historical demographic gift, as about one billion, seven hundred and fifty young people live around the world in the category The age group is between 15 to 29 years, of whom there are approximately 500 million young people, representing 28.5% of the OIC member states. At the opening of the brainstorming session on: youth, peace, and development in a world of solidarity that was held on the sidelines of the XNUMXth session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, the Secretary-General indicated that the current situation presents opportunities and poses challenges if the capabilities of youth are properly utilized. They can become leaders and agents of societal change in order to promote peace, development and poverty eradication. Al-Othaimeen pointed out the need to intensify efforts to address all matters that create a fertile ground for extremist and terrorist organizations with the aim of recruiting young people to serve their disgraceful goals. Noting: There is a need to strengthen the media and educational capabilities, in order to disseminate a counter-discourse to confront violent extremism in an effective manner. He explained: The establishment of the Voice of Wisdom Center of the organization aims to combat extremism and terrorism by dismantling and delegitimizing extremist discourse through the use of the Internet and social media. He highlighted the suffering of the Palestinian youth who are suffering under the weight of the Israeli occupation, as well as the suffering of young people in conflict areas, from Syria to Somalia, and from Iraq to the regions of West Africa that are under the control of Boko Haram. Stressing the importance of addressing the problem of the large numbers of young people who are forced to take adventures and risk crossing the seas and oceans, either because they lack hope for a better future, or because they are deprived of their basic human rights, as is the case in Myanmar, and the need to address these challenges in more effective ways. . It is noteworthy that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation hosted the brainstorming session, recognizing the importance of youth involvement in achieving development and development, and to discuss how political and development actors can engage with youth and translate priority areas into political and development programmes. The session also witnessed the participation of young people from the OIC member states, who, during the interactive discussion, presented practical activities, concrete initiatives and recommendations for implementation, with the aim of reaching constructive engagement and participation from the youth of the OIC member states in various fields at the national and international levels. (End) pg/h p
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