NEW YORK, Sep 23 (APP):Member states of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Thursday renewed unwavering solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and expressed full support for their inalienable right to self- determination in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the OIC, and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari chaired the Annual Coordination Meeting (ACM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Foreign Ministers at the United Nations Headquarters here on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly.
OIC member states commended Pakistan for its active and forceful advocacy of all matters of interest to the Islamic Ummah and its prominent role within the OIC. The meeting also expressed full solidarity and sympathy with the government and people of Pakistan affected by the recent climate-induced devastating floods.
In his address, the Foreign Minister emphasized that Pakistan, as a founding member of the OIC, attached utmost importance to the Organization as the sole and most prominent voice of the Muslim Ummah. He reviewed the wide range of issues confronting the Muslim Ummah, including rising Islamophobia, the situation in Palestine, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, Afghanistan, COVID-19 pandemic, the food, fuel and finance crises and the existential threat posed by climate change. The Foreign Minister expressed special appreciation for the OIC’s consistent and historic support for the Kashmir cause.
OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in capacity as chair of the OIC Summit also addressed the meeting.

During the coordination meeting, the OIC Member states exchanged views on a range of issues on the agenda of the 77th UNGA session. They also reviewed follow-up action on the resolutions and decisions of the OIC.
The meeting reaffirmed the centrality of the question of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif for the Muslim Ummah, reaffirming its principled and continued all- level support to the Palestinian people to regain their inalienable legitimate national rights, including their right to self-determination, and the independence of the State of Palestine along the 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The meeting also reaffirmed the importance of sustained engagement of the international community with Afghanistan, especially in supporting the humanitarian and development needs of the Afghan people.

Keeping in view the global challenges and noting that a vast majority of international conflicts and disputes involve OIC member states, the Foreign Minister underlined the importance of establishing an effective peace and security architecture within the OIC in accordance with the authority conferred by Article 10 (e) of the Charter. He encouraged his counterparts to share their perspective on strengthening and fully activating the OIC Peace and Security architecture to enable the OIC to contribute to and promote durable solutions to the problems faced by the Muslim world.
The meeting welcomed the adoption of the landmark UN General Assembly resolution proclaiming 15 March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia and agreed to urge, as a follow-up of the resolution, the UN Secretary-General to formulate an action plan, in coordination with the OIC countries, to halt and reverse Islamophobia.

The ministers also exchanged views on a series of global shocks: the Covid-19 pandemic, rising commodity prices, climate change and a contracting world economy compounded by the ongoing conflict in Europe. The Ministers expressed concern that these shocks have decelerated progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the developing world and, as a result intensified inequality within and among States, including in the Islamic countries.
The ministers underscored the need for the OIC to work towards evolving collective and concerted responses to the political, economic, climate and other challenges confronting the world today.

NEW YORK, Sep 23 (APP):Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Thursday said he wanted climate justice for people of Pakistan as carbon footprint of his country was only 0.8 percent of the total carbon emissions of the world.
While speaking about massive floods in Pakistan, during an event organized by the Council on Foreign Relations here, he said, “All of a sudden we are among the 10 most climate stressed countries on the planet. Pakistan is on number 8th.”
He said the catastrophe of floods in Pakistan was apocalyptic and of epic and biblical proportions.
The rains went on for months till the end of August, and one-third of Pakistan was submerged in flood waters, he added.
He said thirty-three million people were affected during the floods and they became homeless and now their problems were compounded due to the water borne diseases including malaria.
“We need the assistance of the international community including the World Health Organization to tackle the water borne diseases.”
The minister pointed that Pakistan was facing the issue of economic and food insecurity and during the flood four million acres of its standing crops were destroyed.
“We fear that planting of the wheat crops after two months will not be possible.”
Talking about economic difficulties of Pakistan, Bilawal said, “We were in a very difficult negotiations with the IMF and just reached an agreement with the financial institution.”
Pakistan was hoping to enjoy a short space of economic relief but all the economic figures and estimates which were shared with the IMF were also washed away in the floods, he remarked.
He said the guesstimate of the economic cost of the flood damages was close to $ 30 billion.
This catastrophe was not the fault of the people of Dadu in Sindh, Naseerabad in Balochistan, Dera Ghazi Khan in South Punjab and of Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but it was due to effects of climate change.
He expressed gratitude to the United Nations Secretary General, the UN agencies and United States for extending support to Pakistan in the aftermath of the natural disaster.
“I am encouraged by the sympathy, solidarity and support offered by the United Nations, United States and others.”
“We want to be able to rebuild lives and livelihoods of people of Pakistan in a just manner. Every crisis does indeed also offer an opportunity. We will have to construct our lives, our irrigation and communication infrastructure, and we want to do so in a better way, in a greener and climate resilient way.”
“I believe that this is the moment when Pakistan can plan, going forward to adapt ourselves to the increasingly frequent climate catastrophes that we now face,” he observed.
“I must say that Pakistan Peoples Party is the leading voice on climate and environment in Pakistan and is putting this agenda forward. We are focused on wind and solar energy and now climate adaptation will be our main focus,” Bilawal added.