127. The Conference underscored the role of private sector in implementing the OIC General Agreement for Economic, Technical and Commercial Cooperation, particularly in the domain of trade and investment, infrastructure development, public-private partnership and social entrepreneurship, and urged Member States to encourage their private sector establishments to collaborate more effectively with the relevant OIC institutions. It welcomed the signing of this agreement by the Republic of Kazakhstan in November 2015 in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey. 128. The Conference accordingly emphasized the significance of SME promotion policies in attaining sustainable economic growth as well as fighting unemployment and poverty. 129. The Conference attached great importance to multi-modal connectivity to further advance economic cooperation among OIC Member States. In this regard, it noted the recent developments on execution of the OIC Dakar-Port Sudan Railway project and encouraged OIC project owners and stakeholders to continue their efforts towards mobilizing technical and funding support for the successful implementation of this integrative project. 130. The Conference commended the role of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Turkey in contributing to the realization of OIC objectives in the economic domain. 131. The Conference expressed its profound appreciation for the successful implementation of the COMCEC revised statute and strategy adopted at the 4th Extraordinary Summit. It called on Member States to enhance the implementation of the revised COMCEC statute and strategy, in close coordination and cooperation with the General Secretariat and in accordance with the OIC Charter, and requested Member States to continue to actively participate in the work of the COMCEC under the chairmanship of H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey. 132. The Conference stressed that the media, including the social media, is the most effective tool for spreading information and shaping public opinion. The Conference recognized the decisive role it can assume in projecting the bright image of Islam and Member States to the outside world and achieving the objectives of Islamic solidarity; and emphasized the centrality of these media in the just and objective issues concerning the Muslim world. 133. The Conference called for investment in the development of media infrastructure, improving the professional capacities of media workers, facilitating easy access by the public to information, enhancing OIC media institutions and deepening coordination among them to advance Joint Islamic Action in all fields. It emphasized strengthening the public diplomacy of the OIC through the mass media. --More 20:04 LOCAL TIME 17:04 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w