FM Retno Talks Investing in Youths at Meeting With Muslim Countries
Jakarta. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Tuesday (11/07) spoke about the importance of investing in the younger generation, and urges fellow members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC, to encourage peaceful dialogues in resolving differences and conflicts among youths.
Speaking at a session on "Youth, Peace and Development in a World of Solidarity" during the 44th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, Retno emphasized the need for OIC member countries to impart the crucial values of dialogue, tolerance and respecting differences to the youths in their countries.
"If the youths are made accustomed to violence, then they will grow up as individuals filled with violence. If the youths are exposed to weapons, I’m concerned they will grow to believe that weapons are the only way to a resolution," Retno said as quoted in a press release issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The foreign minister also conveyed the need for OIC member countries to create a conducive environment for youths to grow up. She added that cooperation within the OIC needs to focus on improving education, and to encourage entrepreneurship in particular.
On the sidelines of the session, Retno also conducted bilateral meetings with officials from 17 countries, which include Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Bangladesh and Iran. The meetings touched on Indonesia’s campaign to be a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2019-2020 period, efforts to increase cooperation under the mechanisms of OIC and further strengthening bilateral and technical cooperation.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation
57 countries are now members of the OIC, an international organization founded in 1969 which aims to "safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony" and acts as "the collective voice of the Muslim world."
The OIC’s secretary-general, Yousef Al-Othaimeen, said that youth issues are a priority of the OIC’s agenda.
"The current situation possesses opportunities and challenges. If the capabilities of youth are properly harnessed, they can prove to be a huge asset for their countries and the world at large. They can be leaders and agents of social change to promote peace and development, and to end poverty," Al-Othaimeen said as quoted in a press release issued by the OIC.
During the two-day session on July 10-11, foreign ministers of the OIC adopted more than 100 resolutions, touching on various issues such as politics, security and culture.
The resolutions also addressed issues concerning the Asia Pacific region specifically, such as the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State in Myanmar as well as the security situation in Southern Philippines.
Indonesia urged OIC and the international community to prioritize advocacy and assistance toward a peaceful resolution in Southern Philippines, where more than 400 people have been killed and around 260,000 displaced from the city of Marawi as fighting continues between the Philippine military and Islamic militants affiliated with the Islamic State.
Countering terrorism is part of the OIC’s agenda, and during the occasion Al-Othaimeen also emphasized the need to unite current efforts in order to address the direct and indirect causes of terrorism.
A form of the ongoing effort within OIC is the establishment of "Sawt Al-Hikma" ("The Voice of Wisdom") that aims to "confront extremism and terrorism through deconstructing and delegitimizing extremist narratives using the internet and social media."
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