ABU DHABI – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will establish an endowment fund to ensure sustained funding of the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The fund, approved by OIC foreign ministers, will be a financial instrument and operate within the purview of the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), according to OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen. "The endowment will raise funds from states and institutions that enable the UNRWA implement its relief, humanitarian, developmental, health and educational programs in support of the Palestinian refugees," he said in remarks at the end of the 46th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), which concluded in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The theme of the conference was "50 Years of Islamic Cooperation: Roadmap for Prosperity and Development". The Abu Dhabi declaration, issued at the end of the two-day meeting, confirmed the OIC's commitment to support the UNRWA, and invited the international community to fulfill its commitments regarding the Palestinian issue and Palestinian refugees. The OIC chief said the Declaration reaffirmed that Palestine is a central issue to both the Arab and the Muslim nations, and reiterated OIC's position to strive in order to reach a comprehensive and permanent solution and to establish an independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the decisions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative. The Abu Dhabi Declaration welcomed the efforts made to maintain and strengthen regional peace and security in South Asia, commending the efforts made by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to find common ground to defuse tension between India and Pakistan. It also hailed the positive initiative of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to hand over the Indian pilot as a gesture of goodwill to de-escalate situation in the region. The ministers reaffirmed their support to restore the constitutional legitimacy and security and stability to Yemen, stating that the political solution is the only way to end the crisis. The declaration condemned all violations committed by the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia in Yemen and its continuous looting and obstruction of humanitarian and relief assistance to the Yemeni people.
