28th Meeting of the Follow-up Committee of the COMCEC
Date: 09-10 May 2012
Venue: Ankara - Türkiye

The 28th Meeting of the Follow-up Committee of the COMCEC was held on 9-10 May 2012 in Ankara, Turkey, with the participation of the member countries of the Committee (Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Palestine, Senegal, Kuwait, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Mali and Cameroon). Representatives of Malaysia and Iraq also attended the meeting as observers. The OIC General Secretariat and the following subsidiary, affiliated and specialised organs (SESRIC, ICDT, IDB, ICCIA, IUT, and SMIIC) attended the Meeting. A representative of UNIDO has also attended the meeting.

The Committee reviewed and discussed the progress achieved in the implementation of the resolutions and decisions of the 27th Session of the COMCEC, which was held in October 2011 in Istanbul. The discussion included a set of common issues of concern to the member countries with a view to enhancing economic and commercial cooperation among them. These issues were discussed under the following main Agenda Items:

  • Review of the implementation of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action and the Plan of Action to Strengthen Economic and Commercial Cooperation among the OIC Member States;
  • Intra-OIC trade;
  • Cooperation in the priority areas of agriculture, tourism and transport;
  • Poverty alleviation and OIC-VET Programme;
  • Financial cooperation (Central Banks, Stock Exchanges and Capital Markets);
  • Private sector cooperation;
  • Preparations for the exchange of views on “Enhancing the Competitiveness of SMEs in OIC Countries”.

During the working sessions of the Meeting, SESRIC made some presentations and briefed the Committee on the latest developments on the following issues: cooperation among the Central Banks and Monetary Authorities of the OIC member countries, OIC-VET Programme, and the preparations for the exchange of views on “Enhancing the Competitiveness of SMEs in OIC Countries”. In this connection, the Committee took notes, welcomed and appreciated the efforts made by the SESRIC towards the implementation of the various agenda items which fall within the framework of the Centre’s mandates.

The Committee also took note of the following proposals as possible themes for the exchange of views sessions to be held during the 28th Session of the COMCEC: (1) The role of PPP (Public Private Partnership) in tourism sector development in the Member States; (2) Increasing FDI Flows to the OIC Member States; and (3) Promoting Islamic Financial Services in the OIC Countries. In this context, the Committee requested the SESRIC to circulate a questionnaire to the Member States to explore their views on the above-mentioned themes and report to the 28th Session of the COMCEC, which will be held in Istanbul in October 2012. The Committee also prepared the Draft Agenda of the 28th Session of the COMCEC.