US 'warmly welcomes' contributions, role of OIC

The US has warmly welcomed the role and contributions of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

In a tweet, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West said that a positive OIC session was held with important outcomes.

"A productive OIC session today with important outcomes - not least the creation of a humanitarian trust fund and the naming of an OIC Special Envoy. The U.S. warmly welcomes the OIC’s role and contributions," he tweeted.

His statement comes following the OIC's Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Islamabad on Sunday. Following the session, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi along with OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim spoke at a joint news conference.

Qureshi said that 437 delegations comprising 70 delegations with 20 foreign ministers, 10 deputy foreign ministers of the OIC member states, special representatives from the P-5 countries and also from European countries participated in the moot.

Fund set up for beleaguered Afghanistan

The minister announced that the session established a “Humanitarian Trust Fund” which would serve as a vehicle to channel humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan including in partnership with other international actors.

“I am aware of some countries that wanted to donate or willing to donate. But it required some kind of [bank] account acceptable to all of them. There are many who wanted to donate, but do not wanted to donate directly, as they wanted to have some mechanism which they are comfortable with.

So, this mechanism has been devised through the Islamic Development Bank’s account. Pledges would now be made into this account,” Qureshi clarified when asked if there were any pledges made in terms of money to help assist the Afghans and avert the looming economic collapse of Afghanistan. He said that the countries are aware of the importance of the time. “I am sure once this account is offerable, the pledges would start coming in,” he expressed the optimism.

Afghanistan could become biggest man-made crisis if world doesn’t act, says PM Imran at OIC summit

He said that the Humanitarian Trust Fund was established to serve as a vehicle to channel humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan including in partnership with other international actors. He said that the Islamic Development Bank was asked to expeditiously operationalize the Humanitarian Trust Fund by the first quarter of the next year.

In his address, Prime Minister Imran Khan Afghanistan could potentially become the biggest "man-made crisis in the world" if the international community did not act now.

Praising other presenters for highlighting the seriousness of the situation in Afghanistan, he said: "If the world doesn't act, this will be the biggest man-made crisis which is unfolding in front of us."

He said the US has been in conflict with the Taliban for 20 years, but the existing dire situation concerns the people of Afghanistan, stressing that it was important to take immediate action.