The three-day General Coordination Meeting, spanning 11-13 May 2016 and involving representatives from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations (UN) bodies, was held at the UN Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The biannual regular meeting evaluates the progress of joint cooperation activities running from May 2014 to May 2016. HE Ambassador Musa KULAKLIKAYA, Director General; Dr. Kenan Bağcı, Researcher; Mr. Onur Çağlar, Technical Cooperation Specialist; and Dr. Atilla Karaman, Researcher represented the SESRIC at the three-day Meeting.

In the plenary session on 11 May 2016, the messages of HE Iyad Madani, OIC Secretary General, and HE Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General, were conveyed. In their messages, both SGs highlighted the priorities including the prevention of violent extremism, human rights and sustainable development and said the OIC and UN systems should continue promoting peace, tolerance and understanding.

In his message, HE Amb. Musa Kulaklıkaya, SESRIC Director General, emphasized the importance and necessity of effective monitoring and follow-up mechanism for ensuring sustainable progress on the cooperation agenda set for the upcoming biennium. Moreover, Amb. Kulaklıkaya stated the readiness of SESRIC from the OIC side to assume the role of focal point for the technical cooperation activities and projects between the OIC institutions and the related UN agencies.

During the three-day Meeting, cooperation opportunities for 2016 and 2018 were examined by the three working groups; namely, Cooperation on Political Issues, Economic Issues, and Cultural, Social and Humanitarian Issues.

The SESRIC delegation also held bilateral talks with ICDT, ILO, UNCTAD, and UNITAR to further the cooperation on the three mandated areas of SESRIC including statistics, research, and training.

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