Islamic organisation agrees to work on FNC plan for region

Declaration will explore ways of maintaining stability.

ABU DHABI // A proposal by the UAE to draft a five-year plan to face the growing challenges in the region has been approved by 33 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Indonesia this year.

After the first day of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) conference, a proposal to draft a declaration made by the Federal National Council has been approved to be overseen by a newly formed technical committee, Wam, the state news agency, reported yesterday.

The plan will look into maintaining "peace, stability and development of peoples of Muslim countries", the statement said. "Our stability, security and the growth of our people relies on effective cooperation, solidarity and building concord on major threats and challenges," the draft declaration says.

Wam reports that the declaration called for "realistic" solutions to problems faced by countries in the region.

Mohamed Al Mur, a speaker of the FNC from Dubai, said the meeting came during critical times for member states in the union.

He said the past three years had seen development in the nature of the work of the union, and the different committees that fall under it.

He said work needed to be combined to help member countries in the region, in line with Islamic values.

He said exchanging expertise was vital, as well as discussing the economy, culture, and the social and political situation in the countries.

The conference will run until the end of the month.

From the FNC, Rashad Bukash and Marwan bin Ghalita, both from Dubai, Dr Sheikha Al Owais and Ahmed Al Zaabi, from Sharjah, and Sultan Al Shamsi, from Ajman, were nominated to be members of the union, representing the UAE.