COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called on its member-states and Muslim organisations worldwide to increase support for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) while also urging Moro leaders to unite in advancing the interest of their people.
The call was contained in a resolution of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) during its 51st session in Istanbul, Turkiye, last month during which it considered the situation of Muslims in Mindanao.
The pan-Islamic body composed of 57 member-states has been recognised as representing the collective voice of Muslims throughout the world. Its ministerial meeting also tackles issues of Muslim communities and minorities in non-OIC member states, such as the Philippines.
Representatives of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) attended the recent Istanbul ministerial meeting as observers.
CFM Resolution No. 2/51-MM, which covers “The Question of Muslims in the Southern Philippines,” urged “OIC member states, subsidiary organs, specialised institutions and affiliated institutions, including other stakeholders, to increase the volume of their medical, humanitarian, economic, social, educational and technical assistance to develop the BARMM with a view to accelerating socioeconomic development.”
The OIC particularly called on its specialised and affiliated institutions, such as the Islamic Development Bank, Islamic Solidarity Fund, and Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation to come to the aid of Muslim minorities.
The OIC cited the need “to strengthen the educational system, particularly through sending teachers to contribute to the education of the children belonging to Muslim communities and through the extension of scholarships for studies in schools and universities.”
Following the OIC’s call for aid for the BARMM, the CFM had requested the national government “to facilitate a joint delegation of the General Secretariat, Member States and representatives of the Islamic Development Bank” to visit the country.
The visit, it said, aims to develop a “viable mechanism” to provide assistance and financing to the Bangsamoro region.
The OIC resolution also welcomed the establishment of the Bangsamoro Normalisation Trust Fund managed by the World Bank for development activities in postconflict areas, and called on member-states “to contribute to the fund.”
As a result of four decades of armed rebellion to demand self-governance, the Bangsamoro region has been mired in underdevelopment. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
