Saudi Arabia and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the most notable member and the founding state of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud came up with the idea of establishing the Organisation in the Moroccan capital of Rabat in 1969, in the presence of King Hassan II, king of Morocco then, and a number of Islamic countries' presidents.
The General Secretariat of the Organisation was established against the backdrop of the Islamic Summit Conference, held in Jeddah on 23 March 1970, which was chosen as the seat of the Organisation General Secretariat.
Saudi Arabia's support for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
In its early years, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, known then as "the Organisation of the Islamic Conference," received great support from Saudi Arabia revolving around the Palestinian cause and the settling of conflicts between Arabic and Islamic parties then. The Saudi support of the Organisation's activities took it to a different level, making it the largest intergovernmental Organisation, second only to the United Nations.
Moreover, on September 2021, Saudi Arabia donated 20 million riyals to provide COVID-19 vaccines to the elderly and health personnel in 22 of the least developed member states.
OIC Conferences in Saudi Arabia
Since its inception, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted four conferences of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the first of which was in the era of King Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in 1981; two more were held in the era of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in 2005, and 2012, while the fourth conference took place in 2019, the era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Saudi Arabia's diplomatic role in OIC
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia lends support to the major OIC roles by activating its diplomatic roles and providing assistance regarding various Islamic and international issues through multiple channels, most notably King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Work and the Saudi Fund for Development. Saudi Arabia also works to prevent conflicts by all possible means.
Saudi Arabia plays distinctive roles in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation by investing in preventive diplomacy aimed at preventing the spread of conflicts, through peaceful solutions, and good will-negotiations to reconcile conflicts, focusing on mediation approaches and taking into account social considerations and cultural sensitivities.
Saudi Arabia's efforts in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are focused on some other priority areas like refuting the so-called Islamophobia, monitoring the situation of Muslim communities, adopting a rhetoric of moderation, countering terrorism, hate speech and extremism, and promoting the language of tolerance and moderation, thus taking the Organisation into a different level of excellence as it engages in global Muslims' affairs.
In line with the fundamental objectives of the Organisation, Saudi Arabia promotes solidarity and cooperation among member states in addition to coordinating efforts to preserve Muslims' sanctities, combating racial discrimination, supporting the Palestinian cause, and international peace and harmony in accordance with international standards of justice and fairness.
Saudi Arabia's Support for Interreligious Dialogue Efforts
The King Abdullah World Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KASIID) founded by Saudi Arabia, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in June 2015, with the purpose of uniting efforts to facilitate interreligious dialogue and supporting peace endeavors around the world, as well as focusing on states and regions facing serious challenges.
The Center and the Organisation join forces to foster Islamic Buddhist dialogue and peaceful coexistence among followers of different religious traditions in the Southeast of Asia, which led to the holding of a regional conference in Bangkok to discuss recommendations so as to address that situation in 2017. The Center and the Organisation also worked together in the Central African Republic to strengthen the role of traditional leaders and efficient religious parties in implementing peace agreements and building dialogue capacities, which necessitated the organisation of an interreligious dialogue in Dakar, the Senegalese capital, in December 2017, and the adoption of an action plan to achieve the peace process.
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