The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the 14th meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Steering Committee on Health (SCH) held on Sunday, 6 February 2022, both in-person at OIC’s headquarters in Jeddah and via videoconference. The meeting featured presentations on the Member States’ experiences in addressing COVID-19 and the measures they adopted to mitigate the pandemic’s impact.

Participants in the meeting emphasized the need for sustained action to strengthen health systems, commending the efforts of OIC and its various organs in supporting its Member States that were most affected by the pandemic.

Mrs. Ramata Almamy Mbaye, Head of ICESCO’s Human and Social Sciences Sector and Mr. Mohamed Hadi Shili, Director of ICESCO’s Legal Affairs and International Standards Department, represented the Organization in the meeting.

In her intervention, Mrs. Mbaye reviewed ICESCO’s major programmes and activities aimed at supporting its Member States with the utmost need for assistance in the areas of education, science, culture, communication, environment and relevant fields. She also noted that ICESCO has successfully devised innovative programmes on community health and humanitarian issues that led to the development of sterilants, masks and pandemic-prevention guides. Mrs. Mbaye also reviewed ICESCO’s programmes that are geared towards the promotion of entrepreneurship, particularly among young people, women and girls, and the infrastructural rehabilitation of water networks in rural education facilities, as well as the granting of university scholarships to support research and innovation in science and technology.

To conclude her intervention, Mrs. Mbaye called on the international community to adopt a comprehensive approach to health by placing greater emphasis on sports, nutrition and mental health.