RAMALLAH, August 27, 2026 (WAFA) — The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Thursday welcomed the election of Mauritanian diplomat and former foreign minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as the new Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Ould Cheikh Ahmed was elected by the foreign ministers of OIC member states during an extraordinary meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, succeeding Chad's Hissein Brahim Taha, whose term is due to end officially in November 2026. The OIC comprises 57 member states.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry congratulated Ould Cheikh Ahmed and wished him success in assuming his responsibilities and leading the organization during a critical period.
It expressed hope that his tenure would strengthen cooperation and coordination among OIC member states and enhance the organization’s ability to defend the just causes of the Muslim world, foremost among them the Palestinian cause, while advancing the interests of its member states and contributing to a future characterized by peace, stability and security.
The ministry also expressed appreciation to outgoing Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha for his efforts during his tenure to strengthen joint Islamic action, reinforce the OIC’s role in regional and international issues, and support the Palestinian cause and the legitimate, inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian ministry said it remains confident in the OIC’s central role as the collective framework for Islamic cooperation, expressing hope that the new secretary-general’s tenure would provide an opportunity to build on the unified Islamic position and coordinate political and diplomatic efforts at the regional and international levels.
It called for these efforts to contribute to implementing international legitimacy resolutions, strengthening accountability for violations of international law, ending the Israeli occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights, foremost among them the right to self-determination and the establishment of a fully sovereign, independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
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