The conference is being organized by a preparatory committee comprising representatives from the Kingdom, Egypt, Turkey, Sudan, the OIC and the Islamic Development Bank.

The aim of the conference is to mobilize financial support for development projects in Darfur. “The conference may hopefully encourage hundreds of thousands of displaced people currently living in camps to return to their homes with the situation now returning to calm and with a political solution to the crisis on the horizon,” said an OIC statement.

The committee organizing the conference has held three meetings so far. The third meeting, which was held in January at OIC offices in Jeddah, resulted in an agreement with the Sudanese government to allow the OIC to open an office in Khartoum.

The office will coordinate humanitarian and developmental work in Sudan, particularly in Darfur, and will begin operating immediately after the Darfur conference. It will also be allowed to open branches across Sudan if needed.

According to the agreement, the OIC office will enjoy full immunity and privileges. The office will oversee the reconstruction and development undertaken by OIC member states to ensure projects are properly implemented and donations reach their targeted destinations.