ISLAMABAD: The Ministerial Standing Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) is set to host the sixth meeting of the OIC steering committee for the implementation of the OIC Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Agenda 2026 from Apr. 22-24 in Islamabad, the organization said recently.
Established by the OIC in 1981 and headquartered in Islamabad, COMSTECH continues to serve as a cornerstone of the OIC’s mission to promote scientific excellence and technological innovation, focusing on sustainable development, poverty reduction and improvement in quality of life across member states.
Confirmed participants of the upcoming steering committee meeting include heads and representatives of 17 OIC institutions from Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Turkiye, Jordan, Uganda, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Pakistan, COMSTECH said.
“The upcoming Steering Committee meeting will focus on reviewing the implementation progress of the OIC STI Agenda 2026, which was initiated following the First OIC Summit on STI in Astana, Kazakhstan, 2017,” COMSTECH said in a statement issued on Sunday.
“The agenda aims to foster research collaboration, knowledge sharing, and technology transfer among OIC member states to support sustainable development.”
It said key agenda items also include reviewing member states’ progress on STI Agenda 2026 goals, identifying new joint initiatives and partnerships and discussing future actions leading toward the proposed OIC STI Agenda.
The meeting will also feature presentations from OIC institutions on their progress, challenges and recommendations under the Abu Dhabi Declaration (2022).
To prepare for the event, COMSTECH’s Coordinator General Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary chaired a high-level preparatory meeting at the body’s headquarters in Islamabad on Sunday where he issued key directives to ensure the smooth execution of the Steering Committee’s sessions. COMSTECH said its senior officials, program managers and departmental representatives attended the meeting.
COMSTECH said it continues to play a central role in facilitating STI cooperation and will oversee coordination among partner institutions to implement recommended initiatives and sustain momentum toward the strategic objectives of the OIC-STI agenda.
