Saudi Arabia called upon the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to urgently convene an extraordinary ministerial meeting to discuss the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and pathways for an urgent humanitarian response.
Pakistan has offered to host the meeting in Islamabad on December 17.
The Kingdom looks forward to convening this urgent meeting and hopes that finds appropriate means and mechanisms to deliver aid to the Afghan people and coordinate procedures with relevant UN agencies, international financial institutions, and the international community for the sake of mitigating the humanitarian impact and alleviating the suffering of the Afghan people.
The people of Afghanistan are facing a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis this winter. Millions of Afghan women, children, and elderly need immediate assistance, including access to food, medicine, and shelter.
Impending economic collapse and further deterioration of living conditions will lead to more instability within Afghanistan, adversely affecting regional and international peace and security, warned the Kingdom.
The Kingdom hopes the extraordinary meeting will serve as an opportunity to demonstrate a collective stance on key principles, including ensuring Afghanistan’s security and stability and preserving its sovereignty and territorial integrity, free from external interference, while rejecting terrorism and ensuring that Afghan territory is not used as a refuge or haven for terrorist and extremist groups.
The meeting should urge the interim government in Afghanistan to be more inclusive, abide by international norms and conventions, and respect human rights and women’s rights to work and education stipulated in Islam.
The Kingdom urged member states, international organizations, and invited countries to actively participate in this extraordinary ministerial meeting to mobilize Islamic and international action to help the people of Afghanistan.
