The 7^th Meeting of the OIC-COMCEC Central Banks Forum was hosted by the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye in Istanbul. The meeting brought together governors and senior officials from the Central Banks of 34 OIC countries, along with representatives from international institutions, to discuss the global economic outlook and explore ways to enhance cooperation among OIC countries within the framework of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) financial cooperation agenda.

H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK addressed the Forum, providing participants with a comprehensive overview of the OIC-2025 Programme of Action (PoA) and the current economic outlook of OIC countries. She highlighted that, despite numerous global challenges, OIC economies have demonstrated resilience by generally outperforming the global average growth rate. Specifically, during the PoA period (2016–2024), OIC economies achieved an average growth rate of 3.3%, surpassing the global average of 3.1%.

She further noted that the proportion of individuals living in extreme poverty within OIC countries decreased from 21.7% in 2015 to 14.1% in 2023, reflecting a 7.6-point decline, which is more than double the 3.1-point reduction observed globally. Intra-OIC trade also increased from 18% in 2015 to 20.8% in 2023, marking progress, though still short of the six-point target set under the PoA. While under the purview of OIC-2025 PoA, OIC countries have made notable progress in economic growth, poverty reduction, trade, and finance, she stressed that significant challenges remain, requiring more inclusive and robust policies to achieve sustainable development.

H.E. SELÇUK further emphasized the importance of translating lessons learned into stronger, more inclusive, and resilient policies. Looking ahead to the preparations for the post-2025 PoA era, she underlined SESRIC’s commitment to supporting member countries through reliable data and statistics, policy-oriented research, and capacity-building initiatives, with a focus on evidence-based action, inclusiveness, and solidarity.

The 7^th Meeting of the OIC-COMCEC Central Banks Forum concluded with the adoption of an official Communiqué.

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