Members of some influential organizations have gathered in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the deadly sectarian unrest between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

The meeting was organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Qatar Charity and attended by about 30 regional and international organizations including the International Islamic Relief Organization-Saudi Arabia (IIROSA). The event followed the first consultative meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, earlier last month.

The Doha meeting was the first of its kind in the Arab region having all the organizations under one umbrella to discuss the gravely deteriorating situation in Myanmar. The outcome of the meeting was to plan and make a strategy of human intervention in Rakhine State.

In the meeting, the OIC desired to make an alliance between the humanitarian organizations in the member countries to undertake practical steps on the issue of Myanmar Muslims. IIROSA participated in it and approved in collaborating with all the concerned organizations working in the rescue operations in Myanmar.

Adnan Khalil Basha, secretary-general of IIROSA, said: “The event organized by the OIC has been fruitful for the organizations participating in it. All the Islamic and international communities agreed to support and mobilize efforts in Myanmar in accordance with humanitarian principles like impartiality, neutrality and independence.”

He added that IIROSA desired to work within the mechanism of the OIC and benefit from the agreement between the OIC and Myanmar government.

During the event, the OIC and international organizations provided recommendations related to the situation in Myanmar. The group called for the creation of a special fund for reconstruction and rehabilitation of Rakhine State under the auspices of the OIC and an international media campaign, including social media, to share information about the protracted violence in Myanmar and humanitarian consequences for the minority groups in the country.

Around 69,000 people in Myanmar have been displaced by recent clashes in Rakhine State in western Myanmar. As part of the collective efforts, IIROSA responded to the humanitarian situation by allocating $ 1 million as a first stage to provide food assistance, clothes and blankets to be distributed to vulnerable people, especially those who have become homeless and reside in camps.

IIROSA also participated in the OIC delegation that visited Myanmar in the beginning of October to review the refugees’ situation and to estimate the kind of support needed.