Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) emphasized the importance of the 17th Session of the Committee for the Coordination of Joint Islamic Action in the field of Dawa being convened in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In his statement, at the opening session of the meeting which started on Monday 31st May, 2010, the Secretary General noted that the convening of this session in Brazil is a reflection of the Islamic states� solidarity with this country and with the other Latin American states in general, and indicated that the meeting was to give further exposure to the achievements of the Islamic faith and its contributions to the growth and prosperity of the peoples of these countries. Also, Prof. Ihsanoglu stressed the importance of the meeting which comes at a time when the Islamic world is facing a wide range of political challenges, He renewed, on the occasion, his condemnation of the despicable crime perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against the innocent civilians on board the Freedom Flotilla in international waters.

The Secretary General drew the attention of the participants to the onslaught faced by Islam in the West for so many years, and called for the need to coordinate efforts among Islamic associations in the West. He further urged the participants in the Sao Paulo meeting to strive to project the authentic image of Islam.

The Secretary General expressed his deep gratitude for the noble initiative launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, which promotes interfaith dialogue at the international level, and which has met with broad international support, as he pointed out.

On the other hand, Ihsanoglu drew attention to the major achievements witnessed by the OIC over the past five years and made reference to the Ten Year Programme of Action adopted by the Extraordinary Islamic Summit in Makkah and which aims at promoting the Islamic Ummah such as to enable it to face up to the challenges confronting it, at all levels.

The Secretary General also recalled the adoption of the OIC new Charter at the Dakar Summit in 2008 with its fresh vision and values, and similarly pointed to the Independent Human Rights Commission which has now entered in its final stages of establishment.

Prof. Ihsanoglu further referred to the projects which the Committee for the Coordination Islamic Joint Action intends to undertake in the course of its current session, including the establishment of radio stations to broadcast in FM frequencies for Africa and to offer health related, social, environmental, educational and religious sensitization. The Secretary General also noted that these radio stations will be broadcasting in different African languages, and added that the Committee also intends to launch an Arabic language teaching centre aimed at spreading the spirit of dialogue, in addition to other various information activities.

The Secretary General expressed his profound thanks to the Brazilian government to the Islamic Dawa Centre in Latin America and to the Committee for the Coordination of Joint Islamic Action for the efforts they have all contributed towards ensuring the success of the Committee�s present session, and wished them every success in their deliberations and future programmes.