Hawzah News Agency –The OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) held its eighteenth regular session at the OIC General Secretariat 23 November 2021. The session continues until Wednesday 24 November 2021.

This IPHRCH meeting is the first to be held in-person since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. There, participants heard the statement of the OIC Secretary General, Hissein Brahim Taha, which was delivered on his behalf by Dr Mahamat Adoum Koulbou, Director General of the Secretary General’s cabinet. The Secretary General declared that protection of human rights within and outside the OIC would remain one of his major priorities.

In his statement, the Secretary General also observed that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the situation of human rights, particularly the poor, just as it has heightened economic and social inequalities.

The Chairman of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, Dr Saeed Al-Ghufli, delivered a statement in which he congratulated Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha for his unanimous election. He emphasized that the election is a reflection of the member states’ confidence. He expressed his optimism that the new Secretary General will be a supporter of the IPHRC, and gave the assurance that the IPHRC will continue its cooperation with the OIC on human rights issues.