Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha said on Tuesday there was a pressing need for a “well-coordinated and strategically integrated approach to the wide range of challenges facing Afghanistan and its people”.

In a statement to delegates at the Tashkent International Conference on Afghanistan: Security and Economic Development, which was read out by IOC special envoy to Afghanistan Tarig Ali Bakhiet, Taha said such an approach would only be feasible though pursuing sustained and constructive engagement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

Taha also called on multilateral aid, development, and humanitarian organizations to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan’s vulnerable communities.

He encouraged OIC Member States, world countries, and international as well as regional organizations to consider making contributions to the OIC Trust Fund for Afghanistan.

“The larger the support to the Trust Fund, the wider the scope of assistance projects will be, and subsequently greater segments of Afghan society would benefit from such assistance programs,” he said.

Taha indicated that the ultimate objective lies in promoting the realization and enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms by all Afghan citizens in a secure, stable and economically thriving environment.

Tomas Niklasson, the Special Envoy of the European Union for Afghanistan, meanwhile issued a short statement after Tuesday’s meeting and said he “underlined the lack of a recognised Afghan government and the need for inclusive governance where all Afghan women and men have a say and where different political factions and ethnic and sectarian groups are represented.”

Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China Yue Xiaoyong also addressed the meeting and noted that the situation in Afghanistan directly affects security and stability around the world.

Yue stressed that to date, 72 percent of the population of Afghanistan lives below the poverty line, while the unemployment rate is 40 percent.

“China is doing everything possible to improve the situation in Afghanistan,” he said.

“For example, China provided 15 million yuan to mitigate the effects of the recent earthquake. Moreover, we continue importing agricultural products from Afghanistan.”

Yue urged the global community to continue building multilateral coordination and cooperation regarding the situation in Afghanistan.