The government has appointed MJH Jabed, currently consul general in Milan, as the ambassador and permanent representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an office order regarding his new appointment on Sunday. The 57-OIC is largely made up of countries whose people are mainly followers of the Islamic religion. It was established in 1969. Jabed assumed his duties at the Bangabhaban Consulate in Milan on October 23, 2021. He has been with the Foreign Service of Bangladesh since May 2003. From July 2019 to October 2021, he was the director general for South East Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka. He served the Secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Kathmandu, Nepal, as the Director for Agriculture and Rural Development from 2014-17. Jabed worked extensively at the headquarters. He served the Multilateral Economic Affairs, International Organizations, Finance, and Law of the Sea Divisions as an Assistant Secretary/Senior Assistant Secretary. Read: Sustainability no longer a choice but a necessity: Adviser Rizwana He was also Director for Americas, South Asia, and South East Asia. During 2010-14, he was posted at Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC and Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi as a First Secretary (Political) and Counsellor (Political). Jabed obtained his Bachelor’s with honours and Master’s degrees in International Relations from the University of Dhaka and a certificate course in trade policy and commercial diplomacy from Carleton University of Ottawa. He did Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha has expressed concern over itsinsufficient funding for the Rohingya case.  Appreciating the support of Member States for the Rohingya case, he assured that OIC will continue to encourage them to contribute funds for the Rohingya case filed by The Gambia in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The OIC Secretary General reiterated OIC’s relentless support in resolving the Rohingya crisis, while visiting the Rohingya Camps in Cox’s Bazar on Monday (May 29, 2023).  Mentioning the Rohingya issue as an important agenda of OIC, the OIC Secretary General highlighted OIC’s firm support to The Gambia led initiative of taking legal recourse for ensuring justice for the forcibly displaced Rohingya people from Myanmar at the ICJ. Read more: UN agencies face funding challenges in feeding Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, official says He said the OIC is also working at the international level for ensuring sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh, to Myanmar, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Recognizing the government and people of Bangladesh’s immense generosity shown to the large number of forcibly displaced Rohingya from Myanmar, the OIC Secretary General underscored that burden-sharing is crucial to solve this long-standing crisis, and appealed to the international community to take more responsibility to ensure favourable conditions for the safe, dignified and sustainable return of all Rohingyas to their homeland, Myanmar. The OIC Secretary General and his entourage visited Rohingya camps in Kutupalong, Cox’s Bazar.  Read more: Rohingyas to get better future only when they return to Myanmar: Momen The Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) welcomed him in the Rohingya Camp in Cox’s Bazar. During his visit to the Rohingya camps, the OIC Secretary General exchanged views with the representatives from the Rohingya community.  The Rohingya representatives apprised him of their strong desire to return to their ancestral home safely.  The OIC Secretary General took note of their concerns and assured them of OIC’s support to continue to work closely with Bangladesh to end this humanitarian crisis. Read more: Dhaka, Beijing review Rohingya repatriation effort

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha has urged the member states to do more and help The Gambia with funds to run the case in the International Court of Justice on Rohingya genocide. "We call upon all OIC member states to join them in this case and give support to this fund created by OIC. This case is a top priority for us," the OIC Secretary General told reporters after his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday (May 28, 2023). He said the Gambia is not a big or rich country but there are lots of efforts from them. Also read: OIC Secretary General in Dhaka; to meet PM Sunday Foreign Minister Momen said said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, OIC Secretary General and the President of Gambia sent a joint letter to themember states recently seeking support for the fund created by the OIC. He said the OIC delegation will visit the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar on Monday. "They (OIC) have taken a leading role. Tomorrow they will visit the Rohingya camps," Momen said, adding that they discussed the Rohingya crisis and the necessity of unity among the Muslims. The OIC Secretary General said in fact Bangladesh is a very important country for the OIC member states. Read more: OIC members must share responsibility for sustainable solution to Rohingya crisis: Momen "Rohingya is one of the top priority issues for OIC," he said, adding that they discussed the issues to maintain peace stability and development in the member states. "We are here to convey our thanks for the tremendous efforts done by Bangladesh government. These Rohingya people are suffering. They deserve peace, security and better life," said Hissein Brahim. During the visit, the OIC Secretary General will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina later this evening. As the Chancellor of the Islamic University of Technology (IUT), the OIC Secretary General will join the 35th Convocation of the IUT to be held on May 30, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read more: Momen urges PUIC delegation to work for repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.

Bangladesh has said the OIC member states must share collective responsibility to ensure safe and dignified return of the most persecuted community– the Rohingyas to their homeland, Myanmar. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen made the call during the open-ended meeting of the OIC Ad Hoc Ministerial Committee on Accountability for Human Rights Violations against the Rohingyas, held on March 17 in Mauritanian capital Nouakchott on the margin of the 49th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers. During the meeting, the Gambian Foreign Minister updated the status of the case filed by the Gambia against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice to hold Myanmar accountable for the Human Rights Violation against the Rohingyas. The status on the voluntary contribution by the member states and the summary of the fund requirements to continue the case were presented, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.  Momen reiterated the importance of repatriation of the Rohingyas to avoid transnational socio-economic catastrophe, especially derailment of thousands of juveniles and youths with uncertain future.   While thanking the Gambia and the OIC and for the kind support for the legal action, he shaded light on the importance of ensuring the momentum of the case to provide justice to Rohingyas. He also called for burden sharing from the member states by contributing voluntarily to the legal expenses of the case. The meeting was attended among others by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, Gambia. Read more: Bangladesh seeks OIC’s help to continue Rohingya genocide case The Foreign Minister also had bilateral meetings with his counterpart of Cameroon and Mauritania. Both countries expressed their appreciation on the rapid and consistent economic progress of Bangladesh and hoped that scopes of bilateral cooperation in agriculture, fisheries, trade, education and collaboration in various sectors would take place. He also had courtesy meeting with the United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Middle East, Asia and Pacific.  Momen led the Bangladesh delegation to the 49th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Nouakchott, Mauritania from 16-17 March 2023.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) delegation members to enhance diplomatic efforts with major powers and ensure safe, dignified and sustained repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. An 11-member delegation of the PUIC, including members of parliaments from Tukiye, Iran, Uganda and Secretary-General of PUIC, led by Prof Dr Orhan Atalay met Foreign Minister Momen at the State guesthouse Padma on Wednesday. Read more: Bangladesh considering ‘pros and cons’ of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework: Momen During the meeting, the foreign minister deeply appreciated the contribution of the Committee on Muslim Communities and Minorities for portraying the picture of the persecuted Rohingyas to the members of the OIC. The visiting PUIC delegation thanked the Government of Bangladesh for hosting persecuted Rohingyas on humanitarian ground, and reaffirmed their continued support for settlement of the Rohingya crisis. Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and Bhasan Char. The visiting PUIC delegation met Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on December 19. Read more: ‘No reason to worry’ about new US sanctions: Momen The PUIC delegation also visited Rohingya Camps in Cox’s Bazar and had interaction with the Rohingyas as well as related stakeholders on December 20.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Permanent Representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Mohammad Javed Patwari has sought the help of OIC member states to continue the Rohingya genocide case lodged by Gambia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).  Javed sought the help at the ad-hoc meeting of OIC ministers on Myanmar’s accountability for violating the human rights of the Rohingyas — held in Jeddah on Thursday.  “Bangladesh has already provided USD .5 million to the volunteer fund to continue the Rohingya genocide case at ICJ and is about to provide USD .2 million more in the coming days. Besides, we’ve built new infrastructure at Bhasan Char for the Rohingya people at a cost of USD 350 million, which has been allocated from our own fund,” Javed said.  Read: EU announces € 3m for Rohingyas in Bhasan Char Javed added that Bangladesh needs the help of OIC countries as the assistance received till now is much less than the required amount. “The solution to the Rohingya problem through ICJ is a long-term process and we need to carry on our activities to this end intensively. It’s a question of providing justice to an uprooted people who have been deprived of their ethnic existence. That’s why all of us need to show solidarity, support and provide assistance to the ICJ case,” Javed added.  During the meeting, the ambassador praised the voluntary contributions and pledges made by some OIC countries and thanked Gambia’s representatives at the ICJ along with OIC Secretariat and member states for lodging the case against Myanmar.  Read: Dhaka seeks proactive role from Thailand, ASEAN to repatriate Rohingya The meeting was presided over by Gambia’s Minister of Justice Dawda Jallow. Permanent representatives of OIC countries including Saudi Arabia and Turkey also spoke during the meeting. 

The scheduled visit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha has been deferred as he is hospitalised. “He’s hospitalised. Therefore, the visit can’t take place at this time,” a senior official at the ministry of foreign affairs told UNB on Friday night. Read: Recent ICJ ruling dismissing Myanmar's objections to bring momentum for effective int'l action: OIC The OIC Secretary General was scheduled to arrive at 10:50am on Saturday. Taha was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at 3:30pm on Saturday. Taha was elected the new Secretary General for a five-year term starting from 17 November 2021. A national of the Republic of Chad, Taha took his oath of office on being elected Secretary General of the OIC at the forty-seventh session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held on November 27-28, 2020 in Niamey, capital of the Republic of Niger.

A resolution titled “Situation of the Rohingya Muslim Community in Myanmar” has been adopted unanimously to keep the momentum in exerting continuous pressure on Myanmar authorities to create an environment for willful, safe, sustainable and dignified return of the Rohingya to their homeland.  The resolution was adopted during the 48th Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Islamabad, Pakistan from March 22-23.   The situation of the Rohingya has not improved despite the efforts and calls of the OIC and the international community, Secretary-General of the OIC Hissein Brahim Taha noted, pointing out that Myanmar continues to turn a blind eye to the horrific violations against the Rohingya’s rights and did not fulfilled its international obligations. He pointed out that this case sends a strong message to the international community about the Organization’s collective and coordinated work to support the Rohingya people, as well as its firm commitment to global ideals and principles of justice and accountability for human rights violations, according to the OIC statement. READ: Sustainable solution of Rohingya issues lies on repatriation: FS The OIC chief also stressed that the Rohingya case is one of the top priorities on the OIC’s agenda, one that the Organization has been following for over two decades. 

The Union government on Tuesday described the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) remarks on the ongoing hijab controversy in Karnataka as ‘motivated and misleading,’ adding that the 57-member bloc is being ‘misused by vested interests’ for the latter's anti-India agenda, reports Hindustan Times News. “We have noted yet another motivated and misleading statement from the General Secretariat of the OIC on matters pertaining to India. Issues in India are considered and resolved in accordance with our constitutional framework and mechanisms, as well as democratic ethos and polity,” Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs noted in a statement. Read: India, Australia, and Singapore to jointly address marine pollution The ministry further said that the OIC has a ‘communal mindset,’ due to which, it added, the group cannot properly appreciate ‘these realities.’ “OIC continues to be hijacked by vested interests to further their nefarious propaganda against India,” the statement read. On February 14, the OIC's General Secretariat expressed ‘deep concern’ on the hijab controversy, as well as the so-called ‘Dharm Sansad’ event, held in Haridwar in December last year. “The OIC General Secretariat calls upon the international community, especially the #UN mechanisms and Special Procedures of the #HumanRights Council, to take necessary measures in this regard,” it posted on Twitter. Read: India asks its citizens to leave Ukraine “The #OIC General Secretariat further urges once again #India to ensure the safety, security & wellbeing of the #Muslim community while protecting the way of life of its members & to bring the instigators & perpetrators of acts of violence and hate crimes against them to justice,” it said in a subsequent tweet. Previously, India called out the US ambassador for International Religious Freedom, and Pakistan, for meddling into the issue.

Bangladesh has sought effective steps to establish lasting peace in Afghanistan, ensure safety of Afghan people and evacuate all foreign nationals including Bangladeshis safely. Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary made the call at an emergency meeting of Permanent Representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held in Jeddah on Sunday. There are reports that at least 20 Bangladesh nationals got stuck in Afghanistan. The Bangladesh Embassy in Uzbekistan is in touch to ensure their safe return. The Ambassador said Bangladesh stands ready to share its socioeconomic development experiences with the Afghan people once the situation gets normalized. At the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the 14th Islamic Summit, and the OIC Executive Committee, the extraordinary open-ended meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at the level of Permanent Representatives on the situation in Afghanistan was held at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) General Secretariat in Jeddah. The meeting expressed solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and reiterated the commitment of the OIC's Member States to help them bring peace, security, stability, and development to Afghanistan. It also urged all parties to work towards advancing the interests of the Afghan people, to renounce violence and urgently restore security and civil order throughout the Afghan society, and to establish lasting peace to achieve the aspirations of the Afghan people for stability, decent life, respect of their rights, and prosperity. Earlier, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam said Bangladesh wants to see lasting peace in Afghanistan that has gone through many ups and downs, noting that the current situation has an impact on South Asian politics.