The first meeting of OIC Water Council was held in Istanbul on 15-16 November 2017. Ministers from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Uganda, Iran, Iraq and Turkey participated, and high officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Guinea, and Tunisia as well as OIC institutions IDB, ISESCO, SESRIC and COMSTECH, and other organizations namely the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and Inter-Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and Management (INWRDAM) attended the first meeting of OIC Water Council.

The meeting was held in pursuance of the decision of the 3rd Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers responsible for Water (ICMW) held in Istanbul on 15-16 May 2017, which established the OIC Water Council with the mandate to formulate a plan of action for the implementation of OIC Water Vision.

OIC Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan, in his opening remarks, highlighted the challenges posed by growing water scarcity for the sustainability, health and prosperity of the OIC Member States.

He emphasized the need for increasing intra-OIC collaboration to help the OIC countries in finding solutions to the water-related challenges. He assured that the OIC General Secretariat and relevant OIC institutions remain committed to working with the Member States and all stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the OIC Water Vision.

The OIC Water Council approved a comprehensive plan of action for the implementation of activities under the OIC Water Vision. The implementation plan calls for establishing a network of centers of excellence working in the water sector in the OIC Member States to carry out necessary collaborative research activities. The meeting also called upon donor agencies including IDB to intensify their efforts for strengthening the research and technical capabilities of the Member States for formulating necessary water policies as well as carrying out water infrastructure projects.