The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomes the announcement of the independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) for Polio Eradication that 47 countries of WHO African Region has successfully met the certification criteria for wild polio eradication, with no cases of the wild poliovirus reported in the Region for four years. This is the fifth World Health Organization (WHO) region to be independently certified as free of all wild polioviruses. In a statement, the OIC commends the efforts of national governments, international organizations, religious and traditional leaders, public health experts, frontline health workers, donors, the media, educational institutions and parents for this achievement. "It takes great efforts and commitment by all the stakeholders to reach such a milestone" said Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, OIC Secretary General and a member of the Islamic Advisory Group for Polio Eradication (IAG). The OIC takes this opportunity to reiterate its full commitment to working with its partners in the IAG including Al Azhar Al Sharif, International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) and Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) for complete eradication of polio from the world. The OIC considers health to be central to socio-economic and human development of any society and it has worked with its institutions and international partners towards the implementation of the OIC Strategic Health Programme of Action (OIC-SHPA) 2014-2023 which aims to strengthen the health care delivery system and improve health situation in OIC Member States especially by facilitating and promoting the intra-OIC transfer of knowledge and expertise in the domain of health.
