The 41^st Ministerial Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) was held in Istanbul, Republic of Türkiye. High-level representatives from the member and observer countries of the OIC, as well as from relevant OIC institutions and other international organisations, attended the Session. SESRIC participated in the Session with a delegation led by H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK.

The four-day Session began on November 1, 2025, with the meeting of senior officials. During this meeting, delegations discussed several agenda items aimed at enhancing economic and commercial collaboration among OIC Member Countries.

During the Session, under agenda item 4: “World Economic Developments with Special Reference to the OIC Member Countries”, SESRIC presented the findings of its report titled “OIC Economic Outlook 2025: Mitigating Tariff Impacts: Pathways for Economic Stability in OIC Countries.” The report provides an overview of the economic outlook for OIC Member Countries in the context of slowing global growth, persistent inflation, and rising trade tensions. It also notes that recent U.S. tariff measures have added more uncertainty to global trade.

Additionally, under agenda item 11, titled “Alleviating Poverty,” SESRIC presented its progress report on the implementation of the OIC-TVET Strategic Roadmap 2020-2025. Within the same agenda item, SESRIC provided a report detailing progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in OIC Member Countries since the 40^th Ministerial Session of the COMCEC.

The Ministerial Meeting began on November 3, 2025, with an opening address by H.E. Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN, President of the Republic of Türkiye and Chairman of the COMCEC. In his Statement, H.E. President ERDOĞAN reiterated Türkiye’s unwavering commitment to the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine within the 1967 borders, emphasising the need for unity within the Islamic world to address crises in Syria, Sudan, and Gaza. He also called on all OIC Member Countries to join and strengthen the Preferential Trade System to enhance intra-OIC economic cooperation and trade integration.

Following H.E. President, the Secretary-General of the OIC, H.E. Hissein Brahim TAHA, emphasised COMCEC’s key role in advancing economic cooperation among Member Countries and implementing the Organisation’s development objectives. He also highlighted the urgency of supporting Palestine’s recovery following the Gaza ceasefire and encouraged Member Countries to actively contribute to the forthcoming OIC Programme of Action (2026-2035).

The Opening Ceremony was also addressed by Ministers in charge of Trade from Qatar, Senegal, and Pakistan, in their capacities as representatives of the Arab, African and Asian groups, respectively. The President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, the President of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development (ICCD), and the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) also addressed the meeting.

During the Ministerial Working Session, Ministers from OIC Member Countries held in-depth discussions on various issues related to economic and commercial collaboration. This year’s COMCEC Ministerial Exchange of Views Session focused on “Developing/Improving Export Strategies in the OIC Member Countries”, facilitating the sharing of experiences and consideration of cooperation opportunities. These detailed discussions focused on this main theme while also helping to finalise the agenda for the upcoming 2026 Ministerial Session of the COMCEC.

The documents of the 41^st Ministerial Session of the COMCEC are available on the COMCEC website at https://www.comcec.org/41th-session-of-the-comcec-1-4-november-2025/

Photos