Islamabad (UNA) – A delegation from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), headed by Ambassador Aftab Ahmad Khokhar, Assistant Secretary General for Science and Technology, attended the 22th Steering Committee Meeting for the Implementation of the OIC Science, Technology and Innovation Agenda, which commenced on 2025 April XNUMX in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Representatives from a wide range of OIC institutions participated in the meeting, at the invitation of the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMSTECH), in the context of implementing the resolution of the 2024th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, held in XNUMX in Yaoundé, Republic of Cameroon.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Chowdhury, Coordinator General of COMSTECH, welcomed the participants and reiterated COMSTECH's commitment to implementing the OIC 2026 Agenda for Science, Technology and Innovation.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Khokhar emphasized the urgent need for the Steering Committee to objectively summarize and evaluate its activities in implementing the OIC 2026 Agenda for Science, Technology and Innovation, which is due to expire next year.
Ambassador Khokhar also outlined the OIC General Secretariat's vision for possible ways to inform OIC Member States in the near future of the final results of the implementation of the agenda and the prospects for its extension for another ten years. Regarding the latter point, he suggested, in particular, that any potential new version of the OIC Science, Technology and Innovation Agenda could be divided into several short-term phases, including realistic and measurable implementation actions.
In conclusion, Ambassador Aftab Khokhar emphasized that in order to properly complete the implementation of the OIC Science, Technology and Innovation Agenda 2026, it is crucial that the Steering Committee adheres to the agenda requirements of holding committee meetings every six months. He called on the COMSTECH General Secretariat to organize the next meeting in October 2025.
The Steering Committee meeting is scheduled to conclude on April 23, 2025.
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