INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha said on Tuesday there was a pressing need for a
&well-coordinated and strategically integrated approach to the wide range of challenges facing Afghanistan and its people&.In a statement to
delegates at the Tashkent International Conference on Afghanistan: Security and Economic Development, which was read out by IOC special
envoy to Afghanistan Tarig Ali Bakhiet, Taha said such an approach would only be feasible though pursuing sustained and constructive
engagement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).Taha also called on multilateral aid, development, and humanitarian organizations
to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan&s vulnerable communities.He encouraged OIC Member States, world countries, and
international as well as regional organizations to consider making contributions to the OIC Trust Fund for Afghanistan.The larger the
support to the Trust Fund, the wider the scope of assistance projects will be, and subsequently greater segments of Afghan society would
benefit from such assistance programs,& he said.Taha indicated that the ultimate objective lies in promoting the realization and enjoyment
of fundamental rights and freedoms by all Afghan citizens in a secure, stable and economically thriving environment.Tomas Niklasson, the
Special Envoy of the European Union for Afghanistan, meanwhile issued a short statement after Tuesday&s meeting and said he &underlined the
lack of a recognised Afghan government and the need for inclusive governance where all Afghan women and men have a say and where different
political factions and ethnic and sectarian groups are represented.Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
China Yue Xiaoyong also addressed the meeting and noted that the situation in Afghanistan directly affects security and stability around the
world.Yue stressed that to date, 72 percent of the population of Afghanistan lives below the poverty line, while the unemployment rate is 40
percent.China is doing everything possible to improve the situation in Afghanistan,& he said.For example, China provided 15 million yuan to
mitigate the effects of the recent earthquake
Moreover, we continue importing agricultural products from Afghanistan.Yue urged the global community to continue building multilateral
coordination and cooperation regarding the situation in Afghanistan.The post OIC chief says coordinated, strategic approach needed for
Afghanistan first appeared on Ariana News.
