The 43rd ordinary session of the Governing Board of IRCICA was held at the Centre’s headquarters on 3 December 2025. The Board reviewed and approved the Centre’s activity report and closing accounts for the year 2025, commented on the implementation of the upcoming 2026 work program and budget, and finalized the work program and budget proposals for 2027 towards their adoption by the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States. In the OIC system, the Governing Boards of the OIC subsidiaries are their immediate supervising bodies. In his opening remarks, IRCICA Director General Prof. Mahmud Erol Kılıç said that the Member States’ representatives in the Board maintain close bonds with IRCICA during and after their terms of office, continuing to contribute to IRCICA’s liaisons with their countries. The representatives present at the session were Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakheet, Assistant Secretary General of the OIC for Humanitarian, Social and Cultural Affairs representing the Secretary General of OIC H.E. Hissein Brahim Taha; Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, IRCICA Director General; Ambassador M. Amanul Haq (People’s Republic of Bangladesh); Mr. Bely Hermann Abdoul-Karim Niangao (Republic of Burkino Faso); Ambassador Ziaeddin Said Bamakhrama (Republic of Djibouti); Mr. Roomi Mutar B. Al Roomi (State of Kuwait); Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sait Yazıcıoğlu (Republic of Türkiye); and attending online, Mr. Araz Bağırlı (Republic of Azerbaijan). As this was the first session of its new three-year term, the Board elected Ambassador M. Amanul Haq of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh as its Chairman for the new term. During their deliberations, the Board members underlined the importance of studies on culture and civilization for reflecting the true spirit of Islam and strengthening bonds of friendship and cooperation among the Member States; in this regard, they praised the vast scope and diversity of IRCICA’s activities in these fields. The members also took note of the improvements IRCICA has made in widely diffusing its activities through social media and digital channels and lauded its efforts to digitize the written sources of history and culture to make them widely accessible. The Report and Recommendations of the 43rd session will be taken into consideration by the General Assembly of IRCICA and the Permanent Finance Committee of the OIC and later, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States, during the adoption process of IRCICA’s documents.
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