Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Yousef Al-Othaimeen has announced that a five-pronged plan had been evolved for the execution of the organization’s vision to secure water resources in member countries.

The execution plan, he said, is scheduled to be presented to the Fourth Session of the OIC Ministerial Conference on Water in the OIC Member States due to be held in Cairo on Oct. 14-15.

The OIC secretary-general went on to say that the execution plan expected to be discussed and adopted in Cairo bears several objectives: evaluating the member states’ needs and capacities, identifying the pioneering schools in the area of water in the member states, executing a number of cooperative initiatives on building capacities and innovative technological ideas, and training programs among the OIC member states’ research and training schools.

The plan also includes capacity-building programs that are mainly focused on the needs of the least developed Islamic countries for them to meet the water challenges, and equipment for water bottling in execution of the water plan particularly in the least developed countries.

In terms of the assessment of the member states’ needs and capacities, Al-Othaimeen noted that the OIC 2026 technological plan of action called on member states, first and foremost, to define the level of water supply availability and demand through the elaboration of national water budgets at the “communal” level.

Al-Othaimeen further added that the execution plan reflects a need for the coordination of current activity regarding cooperative research on water issues under the various OIC institutions in order to avoid duplication. He also indicated that cooperation and capacity-building activities will be compartmentalized and entrusted to the major centers of excellence operating in the field of water resources, as may be requested by the OIC Water Council or by any member state.

SOURCE : SAUDIGAZETTE