Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been elected as the new Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Last Thursday, the foreign ministers of the 57 member countries of the OIC elected Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as the new Secretary General.
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Chadian Hussein Ibrahim Taha took over as Secretary General of the OIC in November 2021. His term will end next November. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed will then take over.
Palestine is the top priority
As the new Secretary-General, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has pledged to keep the Palestinian issue at the top of the OIC’s priorities. He said the Palestinian issue will remain a major topic of discussion at the OIC from three perspectives – political, humanitarian and cultural.
He also pledged to strengthen the OIC’s efforts to combat Islamophobia. He also spoke about preventing hate speech against Muslims, strengthening mutual dialogue and respect, and developing broader partnerships with the international community.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s candidacy received African support from the beginning. In February this year, the African Union officially endorsed him for the post of OIC Secretary-General for the term from 2027 to 2032. At that time, Mauritania was mentioned as a country in the North African region.
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According to the OIC Charter, the term of the Secretary General is five years. This term is renewable once. The principles of geographical balance, rotation of responsibilities and equal opportunities are taken into account during the election of the Secretary General. The qualifications, integrity and experience of the candidate are also given importance.
The OIC charter does not specify a specific sequence for the appointment of the Secretary-General among Arab, African, and Asian countries. However, the election process takes into account rotation and geographical balance.
Experience in crisis management at the United Nations
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, 66, has more than three decades of experience in international diplomacy. He has worked on various political and security crises and has also held various important positions at the United Nations.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was the Foreign Minister of Mauritania from 2018 to 2022. Previously, he served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Yemen from 2015 to 2018.
He served as the Deputy Special Representative, Resident Coordinator, and Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations Secretary-General in Libya in 2014.
Previously, he was the UN Humanitarian Coordinator and UN Population Fund Representative in Yemen from 2012 to 2014. He served in the same position in Syria from 2008 to 2012.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, with extensive diplomatic and UN experience, will take over as Secretary General of the OIC, an alliance of 57 Muslim countries around the world, in November.
