The 48^th Meeting of the Board of Directors of SESRIC convened on 23 January 2025 at SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara, with the participation of representatives from the newly elected member countries of the OIC for the three-year term spanning January 2025 to January 2028. The meeting included Dr. Ola AWAD (State of Palestine), Mr. Alpha Bacar BARRY (Republic of Guinea), Mr. Salih TANRIKULU (Republic of Türkiye), Ms. Wafa ALYAHYA (State of Kuwait, virtual participation), Mr. SARPONO (Indonesia), Mr. Abdirahman Omar DAHIR (Republic of Somalia), Mr. Muhammad Humair KARIM (Islamic Republic of Pakistan), Mr. Nendjot PATRICE (Gabonese Republic) and Mr. Abbas DARBOE (Republic of The Gambia).

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, and Mr. Naghi JABBAROV, Director General of the Economic Affairs Department at the OIC, attended as ex officio members of the Board. Additionally, the Heads of the Departments of the Centre also attended the Meeting.

The meeting commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by a welcoming address by H.E. SELÇUK. She extended her congratulations to the new Board members on their appointments and expressed confidence in their ability to contribute valuable insights and recommendations to enhance the Centre’s operations for the benefit of OIC member countries.

During the meeting, the Director General of SESRIC and the Board members strongly condemned the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, which have persisted for over fifteen months, describing them as a grave violation of international law and human rights. They reaffirmed their firm solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for justice and dignity. Furthermore, the Board extended their heartfelt condolences to the victims of the tragic fire in Bolu province, Türkiye, which claimed more than 70 lives on 21 January 2025, and expressed their sympathies to the affected families and condolences to the lost ones.

Subsequently, the Board elected Dr. Ola AWAD, Representative of the State of Palestine, as Chairperson for the 2025–2028 term, and Mr. Salih TANRIKULU, Representative of the Republic of Türkiye, as Rapporteur for the same period. In her opening remarks as Chairperson, Dr. AWAD conveyed her gratitude to the Board members for their trust and expressed appreciation to the Director General and SESRIC staff for their warm hospitality and meticulous arrangements. She emphasized SESRIC’s pivotal role as a leading OIC organ, particularly in advancing initiatives in statistics, research, and training to support the efforts of member states.

Dr. AWAD invited Mr. Naghi JABBAROV to deliver the message of H.E. Hissein Brahim TAHA, Secretary General of the OIC. Following this, Dr. Atilla KARAMAN, Director of the Training and Technical Cooperation Department, delivered a comprehensive presentation on “OIC and SESRIC Mandate”. The presentation provided an overview of the OIC’s history, evolution, and cooperation frameworks, alongside SESRIC’s methodologies and approaches in fulfilling its mandate over the past four and a half decades.

After adopting the agenda, the meeting proceeded under the chairman-ship of Dr. AWAD. The Board reviewed and discussed the Director General’s Report on SESRIC’s activities in 2004-2025, as well as the Budget Proposal and Work Programme for 2026.

During the deliberations, the Board members made valuable remarks and recommendations on both the technical and the financial affairs of the Centre. They reached a consensus to submit the proposed 2026 budget for approval and adoption by the upcoming 53^rd Session of the OIC Permanent Finance Committee (PFC) to be held in 2025.

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