The Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has said Myanmar must be held accountable for the violation of human rights against the minority and it termed the Rohingya issue an outcome of 'state-backed violence.'
The demand came in the Dhaka declaration of the 45th Council of Foreign Ministers that ended in Dhaka city capital on Sunday.
The council adopted a 39-point declaration unanimously through which the OIC voiced "deep concern" over the recent systematic brutal acts perpetrated by security forces against the Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar, reaching the proportion of ethnic cleansing.
Nearly 600 delegates including 22 ministers and 13 state and deputy ministers, 6 foreign secretaries from 53 member states, three observer states and two guest states attended the Dhaka council.
"We welcome the resolution adopted on the situation of the Rohingya community of Myanmar and in this regard, agree to address the accountability issue for the violation of human rights against the Rohingyas in Myanmar through formation of an ad-hoc ministerial committee, to be chaired by Gambia," the declaration said.
According to the OIC declaration, the violence against the Rohingyas by Myanmar constitutes a "serious and blatant violation" of international law.
OIC commends the personal leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in addressing the plight of the most persecuted people in the world and seeks strong international support to resolve the crisis and full implementation of the recommendations put forward by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.
The OIC also stressed the importance of OIC member states on continuing engagement with the UN system including in the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council as well as with other relevant international organisations to address the massive human rights violation of the Rohingya Muslims taking into account the recent development.
The OIC reaffirmed its full solidarity with Bangladesh in the face of the huge Rohingya influx with its humanitarian and security consequences for the country and with the Rohingyas.
The grouping of the 52 Islamic countries appreciated the members who have taken immediate action and delivered aid to the Rohingay, calling for further assistance to enable Bangladesh to cope with the flow of forcibly-displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar into its territories.
At the working sessions over the last two days, the Foreign Ministers deliberated on a wide range of issues to address common challenges and advance common goals through joint Islamic action.
More than 120 resolutions were adopted on issues related to political, economic, social and cultural aspects of OIC member countries.
The special committee of the senior officials met Sunday afternoon and successfully negotiated and discussed more than 20 resolutions and issues on the Rohingyas, cause of Palestine, the situation in Syria, reform of the OIC, women empowerment and development of youths.
The Dhaka Declaration stressed the need for resolving internal conflict among member countries through peaceful means based on international law.
It also emphasised the centrality of the cause of Palestine and Al-Quds Al Sharif for the Ummah and reaffirmed its principle support for the right of the Palestinian people to regain their inalienable rights, including the rights of self-determination, and to the independence and sovereignty of the State of Palestine on the pre-1967 borders with Al -Quds Al Sharif as its capital.
The OIC rejected the US recent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and condemned its decision to move its embassy to the city.
"The action is illegal and in clear defiance of international law and the international community's collective will," it says.
The OIC condemned the illegal policies and practices of Israel and called for the complete cessation of the Israeli violations of international law, including an immediate end to the blockade of Gaza Strip, all colonial settlement activities, demolition of Palestinian homes, killing, injuring and detention of Palestinian civilians including children.
The OIC made it clear that Islam is a religion of peace and does not in any way legitimise the monstrous acts of barbarity and mass murder carried out by terrorist groups against innocent people.
"We also stress the need for the dissemination of knowledge about enlightened Islam as an important tool to combat terrorism, violent extremism and religious fanaticism," according to the declaration.
While presenting the joint press statement, foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali said that with the council, Bangladesh has assumed chairmanship of OIC and will act in this capacity for the next one year until the 46th council in the United Arab Emirates.
The foreign minister said that Bangladesh has proposed four new resolutions at this council which include regional integration through enhanced connectivity ; cooperation in the media sector for sharing best practices on SDG implementation; comprehensive OIC reforms (jointly with Turkey), and the establishment of a Special Chair at Dhaka University.
"Overall, we believe it has been a very productive two days of discussions. Member states now need to take the outcomes of this council on board and move forward with concrete plans of implementation," Mr Ali said.
Talking to the media following the council, state minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam said the participation at Dhaka CFM was one of the highest ever in any OIC CFMs, with a total of almost 600 delegates of 110 delegations.
In the morning, a special session on the 'Humanitarian Challenges of the OIC countries including those relating to the Rohingyas' was held on Sunday, which was chaired by Bangladesh foreign minister.
Addressing the session, OIC secretary-general Dr Yousef A Al-Othaimeen expressed his grave concern over the Rohingya issue, with the number of refugees having crossed one million.
He appreciated Bangladesh's role in hosting the Rohingya people, urging the international community to take strong action against the Myanmar government.
On the sidelines of the council, more than 40 bilateral meetings among the Heads of Delegation, OIC secretary-general and heads of different organisations were held.
