(  IDB Headquarters Jeddah, March 1, 2004 )

Annex-D

The existing Implementation and Follow-up Mechanism, which forms an integral part of the Plan of Action, calls for holding sectoral Expert Group Meetings (EGMs) in each of the ten areas of the Plan whereby the experts from the member countries would take up and discuss the issues, priorities and fundamentals in each sectors or areas with a view to generating project proposals for the actual implementation of the Plan. Thus, the possible project proposals in the individual area or sector of the Plan were to come mainly from the member countries themselves. Consequently, on each project proposal, a “project committee” composed of the potential partners to each project is to be formed. The responsibility for realizing the remaining stages of the proposed projects cycle would fall on the concerned project committee under the chairmanship of the owner of the original proposal. Progress reports would be made from time to time to the COMCEC on the actual progress of the project.

            However, only three out of ten of the initial round of EGMS, foreseen in the present Mechanism to set out the process of actual implementation, has been held so far. Moreover, through these EGMs about 40 project proposals were already made but the project committees for these proposed projects are yet to formed. Despite the efforts made so far, implementation of the OIC Plan of Action has been limited in terms of both tangible results and follow-ups at the technical land policy levels. The slow progress in this area became a source of concern for the COMCEC as well as the ICFM. As a result, the Sixteenth Session of the COMCEC decided that an open-ended experts’ group meeting would be convened to explore all possible ways and means of accelerating the implementation of the Plan.

            The proposed supplementary mechanism as the name indicates is no more than an addition to the present implementation mechanism for the OIC Plan of Action. It rather stresses the need for exploring the potentialities for an effective implementation of the Plan within the existing OIC structure.

            Referring to Recommendation 13 of the EGM, which calls for giving mandate to the relevant OIC institutions to study, appraise, and provide the necessary financial and technical support to the proposed cooperation projects, it implies that the functions and the executive powers of the expert group meetings (EGMs) as well as the “project committees” anticipated in the Mechanism for the Follow-up and Implementation of the Plan of Action, need to be shared with the concerned OIC institutions.

            The first and foremost purpose of the Supplementary Mechanism is to work out an appropriate methodology or set of ideas aiming at giving momentum to the implementation process of the Plan of Action to keep up with Recommendations 21^*  and 23^** of the 18^th Follow-up Committee Meeting. However, the global developments having direct bearings on the OIC cooperation had to be taken into consideration to have a plain and precise idea about the task and the mission of the OIC family, especially the OIC institutions to uphold the OIC cooperation and solidarity in the face of the global challenges. Consequently, in the study a number of observations and suggestions made to highlight the basic tenets and approaches for the proposed supplementary implementation mechanism. Within the scope of the study, global perspective and cooperative spirit with regional and international organizations and groupings, introduction of the project cycle management concept in the implementation process, caring about the information technologies and benefiting from them in the OIC economic and commercial cooperation came out as the core components of this approach which are thought to be very instrumental for the OIC institutions in carrying out their mandate for the implementation process.

            Reiterating the fact that it would not be possible to make any progress in implementing the Plan of Action, no matter whatever mechanism is to be devised, in the absence of adequate and stable financial resources for implementation of the Plan projects, there is an important mission before the OIC institutions to innovative ways and means for creating such funding. Given the fact that the resources they can afford, at best, to allocate in the present circumstances, amount to be minimal in the face of the implementation process, it is important to look for other alternatives, such as seeking technical assistance from other international organizations and joining in their projects benefiting the OIC member countries or vice versa in the framework of the cooperation mechanism to be established with these organizations and institutions.

            The Committee agreed that as a first step, all the projects in hand, received through the sectoral committees should be dealt with. Accordingly, the General Secretariat of OIC in consultation with the COMCEC Coordination Office, will send a letter by end of November 2003 to all the sponsors of the projects asking them to indicate their present position on their project proposal. In addition to that, the sponsors will be requested to fill in the project profile form and to send their responses to the General Secretariat of OIC, within 4 months. In case no response is received within this period it will be assumed that the sponsors are no longer interested and subsequently the proposal will be removed from the list.

            On receiving this information the General Secretariat of OIC will inform the OIC institutions, who will then select projects falling within their scope of activities. Thereafter, the OIC Institutions will coordinate with the sponsor and the interested countries for their possible implementation. It was underlined that the role of OIC Institutions in this process will be only to give advisory as well as technical or eventually financial assistance to the concerned Member States. The Committee agreed that the progress of the implementation process will be regularly reviewed and evaluated at all OIC Meetings.

*  The Committee stressed the importance of the recommendations made by the Expert Group Meeting for the Implementation of the OIC Plan of Action and requested that measures by taken to accelerate the implementation of these recommendations through appropriate mechanisms to be proposed by the COMCEC coordination office in cooperation with the OIC General Secretariat benefiting from the expertise in this regard of the OIC relevant institutions and submit a report to the next COMCEC Session on the best way to implement these recommendations.

**  The Committee, referring to the implementation of recommendation 13 of the Expert Group Meeting for Accelerating the Implementation which calls for giving mandate to the relvant OIC institutions to study, apprise, and provide the necessary financial and technical support to the proposed cooperation projects, requested the COMCEC Coordination Office to undertake, in coordination with the OIC General Secretariat and with IDB,, SESRTCIC, ICDT, IUT, ICCI and OISA, in their capacity as focal points, a study explaining the content and the terms of their possible assignment, and submit it to the next Session of the COMCEC for its consideration. The Committee also stressed the importance of circulating the said study through the OIC General Secretariat among the Member Countries well before the next COMCEC Session to secure their views and comments.

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