His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al–Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry, chaired Qatar’s delegation participating in the meetings of the 38th session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC), presided by His Excellency Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, in Istanbul, on November, 26-29, 2022.

During the session, the COMCEC Strategy Implementation Report was discussed, in addition to showcasing the OIC Program of Action for the period 2016-2025 (OIC-2025: Program of Action). The OIC General Secretariat submitted a report on the progress and latest developments in terms of implementing the program.

The meeting convened on COMCEC’s 38th session also featured pointing a spotlight on global economic developments, with special reference to the OIC member States.  In this regard, the Statistical, Economic, and Social Research and Training Centrefor Islamic Countries (SESRIC) presented its annual report on global economic developments, in light of which the member States shared their expertise, and previewed their experiences with regard to recent economic developments.

Moreover, the meeting touched on several issues related to intra-OIC member trade. Additionally, the heads of the delegations participating in the meeting tackled many topics of common interest, including discussing ways to enhance the role of the private sector in economic cooperation among the member States. In this context, the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture presented its report on the recent developments of private sector meetings.

Established in 1981, the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) is the main platform for multilateral economic and commercial cooperation in the Islamic world.