Madar (Nouakchott) - Mauritania renewed its call for member states to expand contributions to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) fund supporting youth and jobs in the Sahel and the Lake Chad basin, noting work under way with the OIC General Secretariat to hold the fund's founding general assembly in Nouakchott ahead of the launch of its activities, according to the Mauritanian News Agency.
The remarks were made by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad, Ambassador Damane Hamar, at the opening of the 52nd session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad on Saturday, October 17, 2026, under the theme "Dialogue and Solidarity: two fundamental pillars for strengthening peace and sustainable development".
He stressed the importance of stronger cooperation between member states and partnerships in agriculture, intra-OIC trade, tourism, employment and investment in technology and innovation, saying security challenges in the Sahel require a comprehensive approach.
On regional issues, he reaffirmed Mauritania's support for the Palestinian people's right to an independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, urged countries that have not yet done so to recognise the State of Palestine, condemned attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and called for dialogue and a political solution in Yemen.
The session's agenda is led by the Palestinian question, alongside Yemen, Jammu and Kashmir, Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria, as well as terrorism, extremism and Islamophobia.
