First International Conference on Refugees in the Muslim World in Turkmenistan
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in coordination with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Government of Turkmenistan is organizing an International Ministerial Conference on “Refugees in the Muslim World” on May 11-12, 2012 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, preceded by an OIC Senior Officials meeting on 9 and 10 May 2012. It will be the first OIC conference exclusively focusing on the refugee situation in the Muslim world and other related issues. A large number of OIC Member States, non-member states, NGOs and international organizations are expected to participate.
This conference will highlight the continued generous hospitality and assistance extended by OIC Member States to refugees and asylum-seekers, many of whom have been hosted in large numbers over a long period of time. It will also seek to encourage more resolute actions to address the root causes of displacement as well as robust multilateral cooperation in finding durable solutions.
The main themes of the conference are the role of UNHCR in enhancing refugee protection in OIC Member States; multilateral cooperation including burden and responsibility sharing to protect and assist refugees; and voluntary repatriation as the most preferred durable solution for any refugee situation. There will be a special session on Palestinian refugees presented by UNRWA within its specific mandate.