Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend / The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conferences Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu attended and addressed the inaugural session of the high level segment of the UN Human Rights Council yesterday in Geneva. It was noteworthy that he was the first to address the Council amongst the speakers of the international and regional organizations. According to the information of the Secretariat.
In his statement, the Secretary General underlined the importance of constructing the new Human Rights Council on the principles of universality, objectivity and non-selectivity. Highlighting that the OIC member states are steadily moving towards compliance with their Human Rights obligations, Prof. Ihsanoglu informed the Council of the OIC initiative of establishing the OIC Permanent Commission on Human Rights under the priorities set-forth in its Ten Year Program of Action.
The OIC Secretary General urged on the Council's role in implementation of the relevant UN resolutions towards addressing human rights violations all over the world and drew the attention of the Council especially to the violations of rights of Palestinian people and to the unlawful activities of Israel which may lead towards possible destruction of the Al-Aqsa mosque.
While highlighting the presence of frequent and unjust cases of associating Islam and Muslims with terrorism, Prof Ihsanoglu reiterated his organization's principled position that it was firmly against killing innocent people under any circumstances and that he considered terrorism as a crime against humanity. He also urged the Council to give proper attention to the issue of discrimination and intolerance against Muslims and encouraged the Council to explore the possibility of drafting a Convention on Respect towards Religions.
He concluded his statement stressing that respect for cultural diversity, tolerance and genuine dialogue would assist in attaining a historic reconciliation and harmony towards bringing ultimate peace to the world.
The Secretary General would continue his contacts in Geneva till March 15, 2007. His official program includes meetings with various heads of delegation as well as with heads of some international organizations based in Geneva and also with the media. He will also come together with the OIC Ambassadorial Group there.