Ihsanoglu said "Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen Historically , the OIC and the Non Aligned Movement have consistently been in the forefront of the struggle against colonialism, neo- colonialism, racism, denial of self-determination, foreign domination and have relentlessly supported freedom, disarmament and the adherence to the ideals of a world order free from international tensions and devoted to securing the well being and prosperity of all peoples. Today, the internal and the external challenges facing our countries are daunting. Issues such as globalization, climate change, environmental degradation, and access to clean drinking water, shortage of energy, epidemics, and regional conflicts and most lately, the shortage of food supply and the rising prices of oil and food items as well as human rights, good governance, and multilateralism, combating international terrorism, reform of the UN system, globalization and the democratization of international financial institutions, are on top of the agenda of our two organizations. Addressing these challenges requires a systematic, comprehensive, integrated approach at all levels in order to achieve the desired shared goals. We believe that these changes and challenges could only be dealt with through international cooperation. We are hopeful that this conference will adopt specific recommendations that would enable the Non Aligned Movement respond to international developments affecting it in a more timely and cohesive fashion. Internally, we are confronted by many problems at the top of which come the problems of political instability, conflicts, the food crisis and underdevelopment. These factors adversely affect our ability to face the external challenges. --MORE www.spa.gov.sa/578850