JEDDAH: Tackling human rights abuses was top of the agenda when Organization of Islamic Cooperation officials met in Jeddah on Sunday. The 21st regular session of the OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission opened in the Red Sea port city with a focus on identifying and dealing with challenges related to the issue. The five-day meeting, being held under the title “Business and Human Rights: Normative Framework and Implementation for the OIC Countries,” was being attended by the organization’s secretary-general, Hissein Brahim Taha, IPHRC executive director, Noura bint Zaid Al-Rashoud, representatives of OIC member and observer states, and regional and international experts. Delegates will concentrate their discussions around business-related human rights abuses, including in conflict zones, with the aim of creating conditions for responsible investment and business to help build sustainable peace. Ongoing international, regional, and OIC initiatives will be reviewed along with the sharing of best practices on wider legal and policy developments to implement UN guidelines to prevent, address, and remedy human rights abuses in private businesses, media, and civil society. Taha pointed out that the IPHRC operated impartially and objectively in accordance with relevant international laws. He said: “The IPHRC contributions are appreciated by the OIC and the international human rights community.” Al-Rashoud said other items on the conference agenda included children’s rights, and the right to development. During the session, several closed meetings will be held on Thursday, plus a half-day workshop titled “Right to Education for Women: Challenges and Way Forward – Case of Afghanistan.” Participants will be able to meet with experts and stakeholders to exchange views, identify challenges, share best practices, and recommend practical solutions to improve access to education for women and children. The workshop’s main objective will be to come up with policy recommendations on education for women in OIC member states, particularly in Afghanistan.