Humanitarian cooperation in OIC meet starts in Istanbul

By Adem Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - A cooperation meeting on the establishment of network between the Red Crescent and Red Cross national societies in the region of Organization of Islamic Cooperation started in Istanbul on Monday.

Hosted by Turkish Red Crescent, the OIC Red Network meeting will establish a national societies network within the OIC region to reduce human suffering and vulnerabilities across the 57 member states.

“This network will strengthen the Red Crescent-Red Cross movement in the OIC region,” Kerem Kinik, the head of Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay), told the opening address of the meeting.

"I believe that this meeting is an important opportunity to discuss our common responsibilities, share our experiences and unite our powers against the humanitarian problems within the OIC region," he added.

Kinik stated that majority of the conflicts in 2015 across the world were documented in the OIC region, which also hosts the 61.5 percent of the globally displaced population.

He also said that 71 percent, or some 90 million, of people who are in need of humanitarian support live in the OIC countries.

The meeting continues with the speeches of foreign guests.