Dr. Seyed Ali Mohammad Mousavi, the D-8 Secretary-General, highlighted the importance of youth as one of the greatest treasures which had to be guided properly with education, employment and appropriate religious enlightenment. He said that if decent employment could be ensured for the youth, they wwould not only be the driving force of economy but also be immune from extremism and radicalism. 

At the invitation of the President of Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation (ICYF-DC), Dr. Mousavi addressed 4th Edition of International Model OIC on “Cooperation and Unity in Countering Terrorism, Overcoming Divisions and Strengthening Islamic Solidarity. The event was organized in Mashhad, Iran on 22-28 October 2016.

Dr. Mousavi mentioned in his speech that millions of youth were stuck in vicious cyle of poverty and unemployment and sufficient means to live a life with dignity should be ensured. He stressed that a solid base in human resources would return economic benefits manifold. 

The D-8 Secretary-General outlined current developments taking place within the D-8 Organization and also gave a background of the D-8 and highlighted the role and engagement of the Organization as a prominent inter-governmental entity for economic development as envisaged by its leaders. He mentioned that D-8 had marked significant progress since its establishment in the areas such as industry, trade, transportation, agriculture, technology etc. and thus had contributed to the economic uplift of the people of the region. He also informed about the establishment of D-8 International University which will promote scientific research and innovation among Member States.