The Islamic Summit in Gambia concludes its work with the “Banjul Declaration,” a final statement, and a resolution on Palestine and Jerusalem (document)

Gambia – The 15th session of the Islamic Summit Conference concluded yesterday, Sunday, in Gambia, under the slogan “Promoting unity and solidarity through dialogue for sustainable development,” with the adoption of the final statement and the “Banjul Declaration.”

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit, which was held on May 4 and 5 at the Dawda Kairaba Diawara International Conference Centre, in the presence of a number of heads of member states, adopted a resolution on Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

The agenda of the 15th summit, currently chaired by Gambia, included: The Palestinian issue, peace and security, the conditions of Muslim communities and minorities in non-member states, and legal, humanitarian, social, cultural, economic, scientific, technological, media, administrative and financial issues..

In the “Banjul Declaration” issued by the summit, the leaders and heads of state of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation affirmed their solidarity in confronting the humanitarian catastrophe befalling the Gaza Strip and its people as a result of the Israeli aggression that has continued for more than six months without respite or regard for the most basic moral and humanitarian values, calling for an immediate and uninterrupted ceasefire. Conditions for comprehensive aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

They called on the countries of the world to take action to stop the crime of genocide committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and to implement the precautionary measures ordered by the International Court of Justice, stressing that all efforts will be made to accelerate the arrival of all humanitarian aid and to reject any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.

The leaders stressed the need to enable the Palestinian people to realize their legitimate national rights as recognized by the international community, including through its recognition of the Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, and providing support for the State of Palestine to obtain full membership in the United Nations.

The leaders praised the solidarity of African peoples and governments with the struggle of the Palestinian people, specifically the member states of the organization, and their firm positions to end the historical injustice that has affected the Palestinian people, based on their bitter experience with ending colonialism and racial discrimination.

They stressed the importance of resorting to dialogue and mediation in resolving disputes in a way that provides a tension-free atmosphere between the countries of the Islamic nation, stressing the importance of strengthening preventive diplomacy in order to contribute effectively to establishing peace, protecting lives and resources, and realizing the hopes and aspirations of our peoples for sustainable development.

The leaders expressed their solidarity with Muslim groups and communities in a number of non-member countries of the organization that suffer from persecution, injustice and aggression, affirming continued political, moral and diplomatic support for the people of Kashmir, and calling on the United Nations Security Council to take effective measures to implement its resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir to empower the people of Kashmir. To exercise their inalienable right to self-determination through a general referendum under the supervision of the United Nations.

They also expressed their deep concern about the increasing systematic persecution of Muslims and other minorities in India, which has led to their political, economic and social marginalization, and urged the Government of India to take the necessary measures to protect their lives and property and prevent any similar acts from occurring in the future.

The leaders called on Member States and others to take all necessary measures, including legislative and policy measures, to combat religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, hatred, incitement to violence and violence against persons on the basis of their religion or belief.

They affirmed their support for a peaceful, stable, prosperous and inclusive Afghanistan, emphasizing addressing the challenges facing the Afghan people, such as humanitarian challenges, human rights, ethnic groups, security and terrorism, drugs, and social challenges.

They stressed the importance of full respect for the human rights of all Afghans and the need to protect the basic rights of Afghan girls and women, in particular the right to education and work, and called for greater engagement with de facto authorities on these issues.

The leaders condemned in the strongest terms the repeated incidents of burning copies of the Holy Qur’an in a number of European countries, calling on the countries concerned and the international community to take comprehensive and necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such acts and to address the disturbing growth of the phenomenon of Islamophobia.

The following is the text of the “Banjul Declaration”

In addition to the “Banjul Declaration,” the Islamic Summit also issued a comprehensive final statement on various political, economic, humanitarian, cultural, social and media issues and affairs of the OIC countries.

In its final statement, the Summit praised the outcomes of the international forum organized by the Union of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (UNA) entitled “The Media and its Role in Fueling Hatred and Violence: The Dangers of Misinformation and Bias” in the city of Jeddah on November 26, 2023, in cooperation with the Muslim World League and with the participation of all agencies. Official news in the member states of the organization, and a number of international media and intellectual and religious institutions.

The Islamic Summit noted the special theme included in the forum on “Biasism and Misinformation in the International Media: The Palestinian Issue as an Example,” which sought to address the bias to which the Palestinian issue is exposed in some Western media, which prevents exposing the violations of the Israeli occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to obtain their rights.

The summit also issued an independent resolution on “the issue of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif,” in light of the serious and unprecedented developments this issue is witnessing due to the crimes of the brutal Israeli military aggression against the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip.

Source: RT