OIC Contact Group for BiH calls for aid due to floods

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called on the international community to support Bosnia and Herzegovina in recovering from the consequences of catastrophic floods, following a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs Zlatko Lagumdžija with ambassadors of the OIC Contact Group for BiH in New York, reports the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

The statement states, among other things, that Dr. Lagumdžija informed the permanent representatives to the United Nations in New York from OIC member countries about the consequences of catastrophic floods, unprecedented in the last 120 years.

Dr. Lagumdžija emphasized that 30 percent of BiH's territory was flooded, and that according to initial estimates, the damage amounts to 10 percent of GDP, while also pointing out the specific problem of minefields that have been displaced due to landslides.

It is further stated that Dr. Lagumdžija highlighted two priorities of the authorities in BiH: ensuring housing and employment for those who have lost them, with a commitment to achieve visible progress in fulfilling these priorities within the first 60 days.

Ambassadors of OIC member countries expressed unanimous support and solidarity of OIC member countries with the authorities and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and emphasized that the urgent aid already provided to our country will be followed by further assistance after the damage assessment is completed, which will also indicate precise needs. Furthermore, the OIC Contact Group called on the international community to support the authorities and people of BiH in their joint effort to rebuild their communities and lives, in a spirit of solidarity that transcends ethnic and religious differences, reports NAP.