JAKARTA, 29 Rabi al-Awwal/21 Feb.(IINA)-The 18 members of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) elected one of the four women members to chair their first meeting.

The First Session of the IPHRC is taking place in Jakarta, Indonesia from February 20 to 24. The Commission members elected Indonesian member, Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin, a professor of sociology at State Islamic University of Yogyakarta and head of a center for women’s rights in Indonesia, to Chair the first meeting. She is one of the four women members of the Commission. The other three are: Dr. Raihanah Abdullah from Malaysia, Ambassador Ilham Ahmed from Sudan, and Asila Wardak from Afghanistan.

Commenting on the election of Prof. Dzuhayatin, the OIC spokesperson Rizwan Sheikh said, “This sends out a positive signal regarding the independent approach taken by the Commission at the very outset. It is indeed reflective of the new OIC propelled by the vision of moderation and modernization.”

The Commission, as part of its agenda for the Session, proceeded in discussing the Draft Rules of Procedure, which includes the Commission’s nature, membership and bureau. Once the Rules of Procedure are agreed upon, the Commission will elect the Chair of the Session as provided for in the Statute.

The rights of women and the child in the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are high on the agenda of the Commission.

The IPHRC was formally established following adoption of its statute – and immediate entry into force – at the 38th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Kazakhstan in June 2011.

AH/IINA