The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, have agreed on a plan to deepen cooperation and consolidate the strategic partnership in the field of humanitarian action.

The 2017-2018 action plan included provided protection for migrants at sea, trafficking, kidnapping and smuggling on the issue of mixed migration flows, in addition to the cooperation between both organisation to find a permanent solution for the main cases that have protracted in the OIC region.

The two sides also focused on developing the refuge system and committing to the protection methods rooted in the principles of Islamic law.

OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ambassador Hesham Youssef, who signed the document on behalf of the Secretary-General, said the action plan distributes the refugee burden internationally by meeting the requirements needed by the nations welcoming refugees.

The UNHCR stated that the new action plan will come hand in hand with the agreement signed in 1988 between both organisations in light of the Ashgabat Declaration in May 2012 issued by the International Ministerial Conference on Refugees in the Islamic world.