The SESRIC delegation headed by Mr. Fadi Abdullah FARASIN, Assistant Director General of SESRIC, participated in the 42^nd Meeting of the Sessional Committee of the COMCEC which was held virtually on 17 May 2023. The objective of the Meeting is to review and coordinate the activities and programs of OIC institutions and to report to COMCEC Sessions. The meeting was chaired by the COMCEC Coordination Office and attended by representatives from the OIC institutions working in the fields of economy and commerce.

During the meeting, Mr. FARASIN briefed the Committee about SESRIC-implemented activities from the 38^th Session of the COMCEC until now and the planned activities until the 39^th Session of the COMCEC. Within the framework of the six cooperation areas of the COMCEC, he highlighted that these activities have been designed to serve the implementation of the COMCEC Ministerial Policy Recommendations as well as the objectives of the COMCEC Strategy.

In addition, under the relevant agenda item related to preparations for the annual report on the Progress Towards Achieving the Prioritized SDGs at the OIC level, Mr. FARASIN informed the Committee that the fifth report on the prioritized SDGs to be submitted to the upcoming 39^th Ministerial Session of the COMCEC will cover the prioritized eight SDGs (1-5, 8-9, 13) and the remaining nine of them (6-7, 10-12, 14-17). The report will be prepared in line with the UN methodology by taking into consideration indicators suggested by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and made available in UNSD Global SDG Indicators Database, he added.

Moreover, concerning the contributions of the OIC institutions for the benefit of Palestinian People/ Al-Quds Sharif as well as geographically distant OIC Member Countries and Observer Countries, Mr. FARASIN stressed that the Centre continue exerting efforts to mobilise national institutions staff from these countries to attend and benefit from various activities organized by the Centre within the scope of its mandate.

Besides, representatives from relevant OIC Institutions also shared with the Committee pertinent information with regard to their activities and efforts undertaken by their respective institutions.

The report of the meeting will be made available on the Website of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) in due course.