On 3 November 2025 President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan inaugurated the 41st Session of the OIC Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation in Istanbul. The COMCEC Session opened with a call for stronger economic solidarity and coordinated action among OIC Member States to confront protectionism, supply chain disruptions and the mounting impacts of climate change. President Erdoğan stressed the need to deepen intra-OIC trade through effective implementation of the OIC Trade Preferential System, to develop national export strategies and to advance halal certification and arbitration mechanisms to promote sustainable and inclusive growth.
The President underlined the importance of enhanced cooperation for post-conflict reconstruction in Gaza and Syria and expressed solidarity with Sudan, urging the OIC to play a leading role in mobilising resources, partnerships and technical expertise for recovery and long-term resilience. He also encouraged wider participation in COMCEC programmes and pushed for translating shared commitments into concrete actions that bolster stability and prosperity across the Islamic world.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha reaffirmed that COMCEC remains central to strengthening economic cooperation among OIC Member States and achieving the Organisation’s development goals. Referring to the recently reached ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the Secretary General emphasised that alleviating the immediate suffering of the Palestinian people must be the first priority and called on Member States and the international community to support the resilience of the Palestinian economy during recovery and beyond.
The Opening Ceremony also featured addresses from ministers in charge of trade from Qatar, Senegal and Pakistan as representatives of the Arab, African and Asian groups respectively, alongside remarks from the President of the Islamic Development Bank Group, the President and Vice President of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development and the President of TOBB. The minister from Pakistan took part in the proceedings in his capacity as the Asian group representative, reflecting Islamabad’s engagement with the COMCEC Session agenda.
The 41st COMCEC Session, attended by ministers responsible for trade and economy, OIC institutions and international organisations, will continue until 4 November 2025. Over the course of the meeting delegates will take stock of progress on projects across trade and investment, agriculture, tourism, transportation, finance, private sector development and poverty alleviation and are expected to adopt relevant resolutions to advance intra-OIC cooperation and economic resilience.
