An Emergency Open-ended Meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at the level of Permanent Representatives on the humanitarian crisis in Syria has discussed the dramatic escalation of the tragedy of the Syrian refugees in the region and beyond. The meeting was convened at the General Secretariat in Jeddah. The OIC Secretary-General delivered a statement on the grave situation in Syria and the humanitarian conditions plaguing the Syrian refugees and IDPs, after which the Chairs of the OIC Summit and CFM made a statement followed by interventions from representatives of the member states. Proceeding from the principles and objectives of the Charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Ten-Year Programme of Action, and pursuant to the various OIC and UN resolutions on the situation in Syria, the meeting reiterated that the root causes of the humanitarian crises facing the Syrian people are the war crimes committed by the regime in Syria. The meeting called for an immediate need to fully implement the Geneva Communique and establish a transitional government with full executive power that would allow building a new Syrian State based on a pluralistic, democratic, and civilian system grounded in the rule of law, equality before the law, and respect for human rights. It noted that the implication of the mass displacement of Syrians both internally and internationally has become a factor of instability in the region and beyond. In this context, the meeting called upon the UNSC to act urgently by considering the creation of a multi-dimensional UN peace-keeping operation in Syria as a prelude to restoring security and stability in the country. The meeting condemned in the strongest terms the sustained massacres and violence by the Assad regime against its own people, and by other extremist groups, especially Da'esh, which continue to unleash brutality against helpless people leading to the murder of thousands of innocent civilians, including women and children, the displacement of hundreds of thousands, the forced departure of tens of thousands from the country, and the extensive destruction of property including historical monuments and cultural heritage sites. The meeting stressed the common responsibility of all nations, particularly OIC member states, to open their doors to the Syrian refugees as a mark of Islamic compassion and solidarity. In this connection, the meeting commended the generosity of those neighboring countries, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt, for hosting Syrian refugees in spite of their limited resources and capacity. The meeting noted that the numbers of Syrians hosted by OIC member states have exceeded 7 million persons. The meeting also noted that over half of OIC member states are not signatories to the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, yet many of them are hosting millions of refugees. The meeting called on OIC non-signatory countries to join the Convention. It also called upon member states to consider adopting an OIC framework on refugees to address issues pertaining to refugees as well as cooperation between member states regarding refugees in order to contribute to the alleviation of the refugee crisis in the Muslim World. The meeting welcomed UN Security Council Resolution No. 2191, which again calls for unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians and strongly condemns the failure of the Syrian regime to implement the resolution. It urged the international community to act swiftly to deliver much needed humanitarian assistance to the affected Syrians in their home country and in neighboring countries. The meeting further appealed to all member states, the international community, international organisations and international humanitarian actors to enhance their contributions to the neighbouring countries based on the equitable burden-sharing principle as they have been bearing a huge portion of this burden. The meeting commended the State of Kuwait for hosting the first, second and third international humanitarian pledging conferences for Syria. The meeting recommended convening, as a matter of urgency, a ministerial meeting to discuss and adopt a plan of action or a strategy on refugee issues in OIC member states. The meeting decided to prioritise the issue of the Syrian refugee crisis, and requested the Secretary-General of the OIC to develop a report on the matter to be circulated to the member states.
