The two-day preparatory Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) for the 41st Ministerial Session of the OIC Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation convened on 1 November 2025 in Istanbul, bringing together senior delegates and specialised OIC institutions to steer the economic agenda for the coming year. The COMCEC SOM opened with focus on evaluating progress under the OIC-2025: Programme of Action and on shaping concrete proposals for the ministerial level.
H.E. Mr. Ridvan Agaoglu, Vice-President of the Strategy and Budget of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, chaired the session, while the OIC General Secretariat delegation was led by H.E. Dr. Ahmad Sengendo, Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs. Delegates from member states and representatives of relevant OIC institutions engaged in technical discussions aimed at aligning national priorities with broader OIC initiatives.
The COMCEC SOM reviewed developments across trade and investment, agriculture, labour and employment, transportation, tourism and finance, private sector development and poverty alleviation. Participants assessed implementation challenges and successes under the OIC-2025 framework and worked on draft resolutions and recommendations to be submitted to the 41st Ministerial Session due to convene in Istanbul on 3–4 November 2025.
As the preparatory platform for the ministerial meeting, the COMCEC SOM plays a critical role in fine-tuning policy actions and ensuring consensus among member states. The committee meets annually and, in practice, benefits from Türkiye’s leadership in hosting and chairing these efforts under the presidency. For Pakistan and other OIC members, outcomes from the COMCEC SOM could influence future cooperation on trade facilitation, tourism recovery and finance partnerships across the Islamic world.
