The New Research Report called “Improving the Resilience of Tourism in Al-Quds: The Way Forward for a Competitive Destination Management” has been published under the COMCEC Al-Quds Program

The New Research Report called “Improving the Resilience of Tourism in Al-Quds: The Way Forward for a Competitive Destination Management” has been published as the outcome of the first project implemented under the COMCEC Al-Quds Program in collaboration with the Ministry of National Economy of Palestine and Al-Quds Tourism and Heritage Council (ATHC). This Project aimed at analyzing the tourism infrastructure and developing a tourism destination roadmap for the city.

The report reviews the tourism trends in Al-Quds, analyses the views of tourists, international tour operators, and local stakeholders, presents an environmental analysis, analyses the tourism value chain in Al-Quds, makes comparisons with benchmarking destinations and concludes with a general needs assessment of tourism sector in Al-Quds. It ultimately provides a roadmap and set of policy recommendations that may be useful for policy-makers and other relevant tourism stakeholders in Al-Quds Al-Sharif for future use. The Study also provides a basis for the projects to be financed and implemented under the Grant Scheme for Supporting Non-Profit Organizations within the framework of the COMCEC Al-Quds Program.

The Summary and Full Version of the Report can be downloaded via the links below:

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The 37th Meeting of the COMCEC Follow-up Committee

The 37th Meeting of the COMCEC Follow-up Committee was held in a virtual-only format on 8-9 June 2021. The Members of the Follow-up Committee namely Turkey (as the permanent chairman), Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Qatar, Malaysia, Nigeria, Kuwait, Indonesia, Gabon, and Pakistan participated in the Meeting. The representatives of the OIC General Secretariat and relevant OIC organizations also attended the Meeting.

Implementation of the COMCEC Strategy, important projects such as TPS-OIC, as flagship project of the COMCEC, and the OIC Arbitration Center, and cooperation programs and projects in the fields of trade, transportation and communication, tourism, agriculture, poverty alleviation, and financial cooperation were elaborated. Accordingly, a set of recommendations has been formulated to be submitted to the 37th COMCEC Ministerial Session. Furthermore, the Draft Agenda of the 37th COMCEC Ministerial Meeting was prepared during the Meeting.

For more details on the meeting, please click here.

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Trade Negotiating Committee Meeting

TPS-OIC Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) Meeting was held virtually on June 1st and 2nd with the Participation of eleven member countries. In the meeting the COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO) made a presentation on the historical background of and the recent developments regarding the TPS-OIC. Also Islamic Center for Development of Trade (ICDT), as the co-secretariat of the TNC, made a presentation on the potential economic impacts of TPS-OIC on the concerned Participating States.  TNC has taken important decisions regarding the Roadmap for the Implementation of TPS-OIC with the valuable contribution of participating sates.

For further information regarding the meeting, please follow the links below:

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16th Meeting of the COMCEC Transport and Communications Working Group

Transport and Communications

The 16th Meeting of COMCEC Transport and Communications Working Group was held virtually on May 31st, 2021, with the theme of “Mitigation Strategies for Transport Service Providers During and After COVID-19”.

The representatives of 21 Member States attended the meeting. Furthermore, the representatives of the SESRIC, Port Operators Association of Turkey (TURKLIM), International Shippers Association (UND), and COMCEC Coordination Office attended the meeting.

The representatives of the Member States have shared their experiences, achievements and challenges regarding mitigation strategies for transport service providers during the global pandemic in their respective countries. Furthermore, they have deliberated the good practices and the challenges faced due to the adverse impact of the pandemic on transport sector. The meeting has mainly considered the first draft report titled “Mitigation Strategies for Transport Service Providers During and After COVID-19 in the OIC Member Countries” which have being conducted by the COMCEC Coordination Office.

For further information regarding the meeting, please follow the links below:

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Within the framework of the COMCEC Al-Quds Program, a training program was held on May 25th – 26th, 2021 for the project owner institutions of the projects, which will be financed in 2021

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The 16th Meeting of the COMCEC Tourism Working Group

The 16th Meeting of the COMCEC Tourism Working Group was held on May 25th, 2021 in a virtual-only format, with the theme of “Mitigation Strategies for Tourism After Covid-19”.

The Meeting was attended by the representatives of 18 Member States. Representatives of COMCEC Coordination Office, and SESRIC have also attended the Meeting.

The Representatives of the Member States have shared their experiences, achievements and challenges regarding mitigation strategies in their respective countries The participants have deliberated on the aforementioned theme and considered the study “Mitigation Strategies for Tourism After Covid-19” commissioned by the COMCEC Coordination Office.

For further information regarding the Meeting, follow the links below:

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16th Meeting of the COMCEC Poverty Alleviation Working Group

Poverty Alleviation

The 16th Meeting of the COMCEC Poverty Alleviation Working Group was held virtually on 24 May 2021 with the theme of “COVID-19 and its Adverse Effects on Socio-Economic Inequalities in the OIC Member Countries”.

Representatives from the 17 OIC member countries and COMCEC Coordination Office, SESRIC, World Food Program (WFP) and BRAC attended the meeting.

Participants discussed the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on socio-economic inequalities in member countries, the challenges faced, and the policies and programs implemented.

During the meeting, the study titled “COVID-19 and its Adverse Effects on Socio-Economic Inequalities in the OIC Member Countries”, which was commissioned by the COMCEC Coordination Office, was discussed by the participants.

Click on the links below for detailed information about the meeting:

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16th Meeting of the COMCEC Trade Working Group

The 16th Meeting of the COMCEC Trade Working Group was held on May 20th, 2021, in a virtual-only format with the theme of “Counter-measures to Sustain Trade Facilitation During and After COVID-19 Pandemic in the OIC Member Countries”.

The representatives of 20 Member States, which have notified their focal points for the Trade Working Group, attended the Meeting. The meeting was further attended by the representatives of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), OECD, SESRIC, SMIIC, ICCIA and COMCEC Coordination Office.

The Representatives of the Member States have shared their experiences, achievements and challenges on sustaining trade facilitation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Meeting has also considered the first draft study of the research report prepared on the said theme.

For further information on the Meeting, follow the links below:

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Special Training Meeting on TPS-OIC

A Special Training Meeting on Trade Preferential System among the Organization of Islamic Countries (TPS-OIC) was held in a virtual-only format on the 12th April, 2021. Thirty-five (35) representatives from Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), and the COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO) attended the Meeting.

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