Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu noted that the content variety and size of OIC economic activities have increased dramatically since the elaboration of the OIC Ten Year Programme of Action in 2005. In addition to strengthening economic cooperation among the OIC member states, the OIC economic cooperation agenda has now given prominence to regional and international cooperation. Hence there is a need to adopt a comprehensive approach in addressing the devastating scourge of poverty and malnutrition in a greater number of OIC Member States, as well as attaining the set target of 20% of intra-OIC trade by 2015. In a speech delivered by the OIC Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs Hameed A. Opeloyeru at the opening of the Coordination Meeting among OIC Institutions working in the Economic domain, in Jeddah today , the Secretary General emphasized that in order to achieve such goals there is a need to increase coordination among the various executive organs in order to increase synergies, avoid duplication and promote efficiency in the discharge of our respective mandates. He added that technical contributions of OIC institutions have led to the progress recorded in the implementation of the OIC Executive Framework for Enhancing Intra-OIC Trade, the Framework for Development and Cooperation in the Domain of Tourism, the OIC Cotton Action Plan, and the proposed elaboration of the OIC Framework for Agriculture, Food Security and Rural Development, as well as a number of other programmes. Ihsanoglu underlined the need to emphasize giving the Private Sector a prime of place in OIC economic agenda as it would contribute greatly to our efforts towards increasing investment and addressing the spate of unemployment among our ever increasing youthful population. He noted that the promotion of entrepreneurship and the development of the business and technical capacities of youths in the OIC member states can contribute to leap-frogging the many stages of development within our community.
