Ambassador Hissein Taha assumes charge as OIC secretary general

KARACHI: Ambassador Hissein Ibrahim Taha, the secretary general-elect of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, assumed the charge at the OIC’s General Secretariat headquarters in Jeddah on Wednesday, a statement said.

Ambassador Taha was elected in November 2020 during the 47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Niamey, Republic of Niger, as a representative of the African Group, as per the geographical rotation of the office of the OIC’s secretary general.

The session elected him as the new OIC’s secretary general for five years, starting November 2021.

Ambassador Taha is a Chadian diplomat who had held several positions in his country, including minister of foreign affairs, African Integration, and International Cooperation, minister (assistant deputy secretary general of the Presidency of the Republic), diplomatic adviser to the Presidency of the Republic, minister plenipotentiary, and ambassador extraordinary to France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and the Holy See.

He also served as a senior adviser at the Embassy of the Republic of Chad in Saudi Arabia.

The new OIC secretary general, who speaks French, Arabic, and English, was awarded the National Order of Chad (Knight), which is the preeminent order of merit of the Republic of Chad, the French National Order of the Legion of Honour (Officer), the highest French order of merit, and the honorary ambassador merit.