Ban also said the OIC had an important role to play in combating extremism and Islam-phobia. |“The OIC and its members also have a key role to play in advancing the Alliance of Civilizations and confronting prejudice, extremism, and Islam-phobia,” his message stated. “Your experience, knowledge, and support are crucial to our success across this spectrum of threats and opportunities.” The Alliance of Civilization was established in 2005, initiated by the governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations, to explore the roots of polarization between societies and cultures. The U.N.-OIC cooperation meeting started Tuesday and runs through Thursday. The United Nations is represented at the meeting by its senior political advisor, Lynn Pascoe, the undersecretary-general for political affairs. --SPA 11:41 LOCAL TIME 08:41 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/797586