Pursuant to the decision of the 26th Meeting of COMCEC Follow-up Committee, a Mid-term Review Meeting of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action (OIC-TYPOA) in the economic domain was held in the premises of the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey on 28-30 July 2010.

Besides the representatives of the Department of Economic Affairs of the OIC General Secretariat, the Meeting was also attended by the representatives of the following OIC institutions working on the field of economics: The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group, Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Organisation of the Islamic Ship-owners Association (OISA) and COMCEC Coordination Office. SESRIC was presented at the meeting by Mr. Nabil Dabour, Director of Economic Research Department.

The Meeting was chaired by H.E. Ambassador Hameed A. Opeloyeru, Assistant Secretary-General of the OIC for Economic Affairs. During the Meeting, the representatives of the above-mentioned OIC institutions, reviewed the progress made so far towards achieving the objectives of the OIC-TYPOA in the following four major areas of economic cooperation: (1) Enhancing Intra-OIC Trade, (2) Poverty Alleviation (including the Special Programme for Development of Africa (SPDA), the progress in the operation of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), and Jeddah Declaration on food Security), (3) The Role of the Private Sector, and (4) Other related economic cooperation areas and issues (including cooperation in cotton sector, tourism sector, financial sector and central banks, etc.).

The representatives of the OIC institutions participating in the Meeting also discussed the major challenges and obstacles facing them during the implementation of their various activities related to the above-mentioned areas of cooperation over the last five years since the adoption of the TYPOA in 2005. In the light of this discussion, the Meeting elaborated on a set of recommendations and concrete steps that need to be taken, and identified solutions for more effective and successful implementation of the Programme in the economic domain in the next five years before 2015. The final report and recommendations of the Meeting will be submitted to the 26th Session of the COMCEC, which will be held in Istanbul in October 2010, for consideration by the Ministers of Economy and Trade of the OIC Member Countries.