BAKU, Azerbaijan 

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) inaugurated a Labor Center in Azerbaijan on Wednesday to improve bilateral relations between member nations.

“A new specialized institution” of the Muslim group, the Labor Center “is a momentous event and represents an important milestone in the collective efforts to enhance socio-economic cooperation among the OIC Member States,” OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said while addressing the inaugural general assembly in Baku.

Taha said the “new institution would effectively complement the ongoing cooperation activities of the OIC General Secretariat in the areas of trade and investment, agriculture, and food security, tourism, education, science and technology, and health, among others.”

He praised “the leadership and foresight” of Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev “for proposing the establishment of the Centre” during his address to the second Islamic Conference of Labor Ministers, in Baku in 2013.

The inaugural session approved the Interim Organizational Structure and the budget for the Secretariat of the Center for 2023 -2026 and Azerbaijan contributed $1 million as a voluntary donation to the budget of the new center, according to the statement.

Türkiye's Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Isikhan said he believes the OIC Labor Center will not only address current challenges in the field of social policy but serve as a catalyst for innovation, research and dissemination of best practices.

Noting that the center will contribute to the economic and social development of OIC member countries as a cooperation center where ideas and solutions are shared, Isikhan said: “The vision and objectives of the OIC Labor Center are in harmony with Türkiye's policies and strategies.”

“We look forward to interacting with our other member countries to share our experiences, best practices, and know-how through the OIC Labor Center,” he said. “In the spirit of unity and solidarity, we are determined to work together to achieve the objectives of the center.”

Hosted by Azerbaijan's Labor and Social Protection of Population Minister Sahil Babayev, the session was attended by the OIC head and 20 ministers from member states.

Babayev said the center will be chaired by Azerbaijan and vice-chaired by Saudi Arabia.

The OIC was founded on Sept. 25, 1969 in Morocco in response to an arson attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem the previous month.

It has 57 member countries and is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.