Under the patronage of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and with the participation of the Secretariat-General of the Academy, the Rectorship of Al-Azhar al-Sharif, the Islamic Development Bank and the World Health Organization, the Islamic Advisory Group held its 7th annual meeting via videoconferencing on 22 Rabi` al-Akhir 1442 corresponding to 7 December 2020.

This meeting came at a critical time due to the persistent outbreak of poliovirus in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which raises global concerns about the health of children in these two countries. The meeting urged the governments of both countries to accelerate efforts to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible. The meeting also confirmed its commitment to this global initiative and its alignment with the OIC’s Strategic Health Action Programme.

In his opening speech, H.E. Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, OIC-SG, said that while states and peoples continue to fight this severe health emergency of the modern era, it is important not to neglect the main objective of the work of the Advisory Group, which is to ensure the eradication of polio in other countries of the OIC.

H.E. Sheikh Saleh bin Humaid, President of the Academy, also stated in his speech that despite the painful impact of the corona pandemic in the world, which has resulted in the death of more than one and a half million people in addition to restricting many activities in the daily life of the public, has still raised awareness of health issues, and has strengthened their commitment to preventive measures and made them more grateful for the favors of their Creator such as good health and well-being.

Prof. Muhammad Abd al-Rahman al-Dhawini, the representative of the Grand Imam and Sheikh Al-Azhar, condemned the voices questioning the validity of polio vaccination campaigns.

For his part, Dr. Mansour Mukhtar, representative of the President of the Islamic Development Bank, affirmed the IDB’s commitment to continue cooperation with all partners to help Member states in achieving the third of the sustainable development objectives related to health and welfare for all OIC Member states. Mr. Yaqoub Al-Mazrou presented a detailed report on the activities of the Advisory Group since its last meeting.

At the end of the meeting, the Secretary-General of the Academy, H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, delivered the final statement of the meeting calling on Muslim states and peoples to support the efforts of the Islamic Advisory Group by implementing the wise guidelines and constructive suggestions included in this statement, which are capable of eradicating polio and eliminating measles as well as other types of diseases and epidemics.

It should be noted that the Islamic Advisory Group is an Islamic federation established in 2013 under the co-chairmanship of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif to support the World Health Organization in its efforts to eradicate polio and provide health services to the OIC Member states.