ANKARA (AA) - August 27, 2012 - The head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has praised Turkey's commitment to human rights and named the country as a successful democracy in the Muslim world.
Delivering the inaugural speech of the second session of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission - IPHRC in Turkish capital Ankara, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu thanked for Turkey's generous offer to host today's meeting.
"Turkey stands out as an OIC Member State for subscription to the highest standards of human rights. This strong commitment to human rights has rightfully earned respect as a functioning and performing democracy in the Muslim world," he said.
The secretary-general noted that the establishment of IPHRC was a singular and significant accomplishment in the history of OIC.
"It is the first ever cross-regional human rights mechanism on the international scene. Accordingly, it has been a major focus of international attention. It has enhanced the visibility of OIC," he said.
Branding the situations in Syria, Myanmar and Mali as "human rights hot spots", Ihsanoglu also pointed to the rights of women and children, as well as the right to development as main agenda items for the Commission.
Ihsanoglu said he believed the Commission could play a pivotal role in removing some of the misconception and disinformation surrounding the question of the status of women within Islamic tradition and societies.
As for the rights of children, he said the Commission might play a role by examining the compatibility between the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the OIC Covenant on the Rights of the Child in Islam.
Ihsanoglu also noted that the establishment of IPHRC had been widely acknowledged as a positive step particularly in the human rights circles.
Addressing the members of the Commission, the secretary-general said, "You are a major focus of international attention at the center of a pioneering act. The work and activities of the Commission will be scrutinized with high expectations from some quarters and with doubts and skepticism from others. It is, however, in your hands to 'make or break' the credibility of the first independent voice on human rights in the Muslim world."
